title: A qualitative analysis of women's explanations for changing contraception: the importance of non-contraceptive effects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Women commonly report changing contraceptive methods because of side-effects. However, there is a lack of literature that has thoroughly examined women's perspectives, including why they changed contraception.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Using qualitative data from a contraceptive survey of young Australian women, we explored women's explanations for their recent changes in contraception.
  
  
  METHODS
  A thematic analysis of 1051 responses to a question about why women recently changed contraception was conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Themes reflected reasons for changing contraception which included: both contraceptive and non-contraceptive (4%); relationship/sexual (9%); medical (11%); contraceptive (18%); non-contraceptive (41%). A minority of responses were uncoded (17%). Non-contraceptive effects (effects unrelated to pregnancy prevention) featured most frequently in women's reasons for changing contraception.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While cessation of various contraceptives due to unwanted side-effects is a well-known phenomenon, this analysis provides evidence of the changing of contraception for its non-contraceptive effects and reframes the notion of 'side-effects'.
authors.affiliation: Research Assistant, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Britta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wigginton
authors.affiliation: Research Academic, Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Deputy Director, Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Loxton
authors.affiliation: Director, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Honorary Professor, University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Jayne C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lucke
keywords: contraception; contraceptive changes; contraceptive discontinuation; qualitative analysis; side-effects; young women