Broad counseling for adolescents about combined hormonal contraceptive methods: the choice study.
OBJECTIVE
The Contraceptive Health Research of Informed Choice Experience study involved 11 European countries with the goal of evaluating the influence of counseling on the user's choice among three different types of combined hormonal contraceptive (CHC) administration: pill, transdermal patch, and vaginal ring. Here, we report the results of the youngest age group (age 15-20 years) for Switzerland.


METHODS
A total of 1,032 adolescent women who contemplated a CHC form of contraception were counseled about the three CHCs. Questionnaires were filled out to determine the women's preferred choice before and after counseling, and the reason for their final decision.


RESULTS
After counseling, more than one third of the women decided to use a different contraceptive method than initially intended. The fraction of vaginal ring users increased from 7.5% to 21.8%, and that of patch users from 3.3% to 5.8%. At pre-counseling, 225 women had no preconceived idea about which method to choose. Only 29 women were still undecided post-counseling. The main reasons adolescent women chose the vaginal ring or the patch were the monthly or weekly use and the ease of use.


CONCLUSIONS
Adolescent women's decision about which CHC to use is greatly influenced by counseling that provides balanced information on all CHCs.
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
Gabriele S
GS
Merki-Feld
Division of Medical Affairs, MSD Merck Sharp and Dohme AG, Luzern, Switzerland. Electronic address: isabel.gruber@merck.com.
Isabel M L
IM
Gruber
D000293:Adolescent; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003267:Contraception; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D003274:Contraceptive Devices, Female; D003278:Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D057968:Transdermal Patch; D055815:Young Adult
D003278:Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal
Combined hormonal contraception; Combined oral contraceptive; Contraceptive counseling in adolescent women; Contraceptive patch; Vaginal ring