Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2017 Apr;95(4):419-423.
doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2016.10.008. Epub 2016 Nov 4.

Similarities and differences in contraceptive use reported by women and men in the National Survey of Family Growth

Abigail Ra Aiken  1 , Yu Wang  2 , Jenny Higgins  3 , James Trussell  4
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Similarities and differences in contraceptive use reported by women and men in the National Survey of Family Growth

Abigail Ra Aiken et al. Contraception. 2017 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To compare use of contraceptive methods at last heterosexual intercourse among 15-44year-old women and men at risk of unintended pregnancy in the United States.

Study design: We employed data from the National Survey of Family Growth 2006-2013. We considered women and men to be at risk of unintended pregnancy if they had intercourse in the last month, regardless of contraceptive use, and if they or their partner had the ability to get pregnant and was not trying to become pregnant. We categorized multiple method use according to the most effective method reported. To explore the contributions of age and relationship status to differences in reporting between women and men, we conducted sensitivity analyses, limiting age to 25-44years and union status to married and cohabiting.

Results: Distributions of methods used at last intercourse differed for women and men. A positive difference reflects higher reporting among women, while a negative difference reflects higher reporting among men. Percentage-point differences were largest for reported use of no method (-7.6) and female sterilization (+7.4), each p<.001. These differences persisted even when the sample was restricted by age and relationship status.

Conclusion: Estimates of men's contraceptive use may be subject to underreporting of their partners' method use, particularly when their female partner is sterilized. Neither older age nor married and cohabiting relationship status accounted for the observed differences. Further research is needed to explore the factors underlying reporting differences between women and men with respect to female sterilization and use of no method. IMPLICATIONS (50): Characterizing the determinants of contraceptive use among men and the relationship of men's pregnancy intentions, feelings and desires to contraceptive use are important future research goals. To ensure valid results, researchers must be aware of the potential for underreporting of method use among men, particularly with respect to female sterilization.

Keywords: Contraceptive use; Men; National Survey of Family Growth; Unintended pregnancy; Women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

None

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Daniels K, Daugherty J, Jones J, Mosher W. Natl Health Stat Report no 86. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2015. Current contraceptive use and variation by selected characteristics among women aged 15–44: United States, 2011–2013. - PubMed
    1. Jones J, Mosher W, Daniels K. Natl Health Stat Report no 60. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2012. Current contraceptive use in the United States, 2006–2010, and changes in patterns of use since 1995. - PubMed
    1. Lindberg LD, Kost K. Exploring US men’s birth intentions. Matern Child Health J. 2014;18:625–633. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Eeckhaut M, Megan S. The perplexing links between contraceptive sterilization and (dis)advantage in ten low-fertility countries. Population Studies. 2016;70(1):39–58. - PMC - PubMed
    1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth. [Accessed August 6th, 2016]; http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg/nsfg_2006_2010_puf.htm.

Publication types