Contraception in Japan: Current trends

Abstract

Objectives: High proportion of Japanese uses condoms; lower proportion uses oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). We examined the longitudinal patterns for contraceptive usage in Japan and evaluated differences before and after OCP government approval.

Study design: We accessed nationally representative survey data for women aged 16-49years from 1950 to 2014.

Results: Usage of condoms and OCP was 83.4% and 3.0%, respectively in 2014. OCP use before (1.21%) and after (1.97%) government approval did not differ significantly (p=.58).

Conclusions: The prevalence of OCP usage remains low in Japan. A wide gap in use between Japan and other developed countries exists.

Implications: Through a wide gap in OCP use between Japan and other countries, we revealed how choices of contraceptive methods and their benefits could be openly available for women of reproductive age, and how health care professionals disseminate appropriate knowledge about contraception for women in need.

Keywords: Contraceptive choices; Japan; Oral contraceptive pill (OCP); Reproductive health.