Sponsor
This study was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Development Grants OPP1060424, OPP1084270.
Document Type
Post-Print
Publication Date
3-6-2015
Subjects
Sterilization (Birth control) -- Complications, Contraception -- Decision making, Contraception -- Complications
Abstract
Objective: Novel approaches to nonsurgical permanent contraception (NSPC) for women that are low cost and require no incision or hysteroscope/surgical equipment could improve access to, and the acceptability of permanent contraception (PC). To better understand opportunities and limitations for NSPC approaches, we examined women's and OB/GYN providers' perceptions of NSPC in Portland, OR.
Study Design: Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 women recruited from outpatient clinics with purposive sampling, and a focus group was conducted with 9 OB/GYNs in academic and community practice. Transcripts were coded and inductively analyzed with a grounded theory approach.
Results: The majority of women identified as white (67%) or Latina (25%). They had a median age of 31.5, and median number of children was one. Perspectives on NSPC were closely aligned with women's general attitudes towards PC; over half were considering PC for themselves or partners in the future. Most respondents valued multiple aspects of a nonsurgical approach, with themes of minimizing recovery time, invasiveness, risk, and avoiding hormonal contraception. Many assumed NSPC would be less effective than surgery, however, and felt a confirmation test would be necessary regardless of the failure rate. Providers welcomed efforts to expand contraceptive choice with NSPC, but would require long-term safety and efficacy data before recommending, and voiced concerns that NSPC's potential relative ease of administration could undermine the inherent seriousness of choosing PC.
Conclusions: Women’s and providers’ perceptions of NSPC hinged on the ways in which they conceptualized risk and effectiveness. While perceptions were generally favorable, confirmation of safety and effectiveness would be required for a new approach to be accepted.
Implications: This hypothesis-generating study elucidates women’s and provider’s perspectives on new methods of NSPC, and contributes to understanding their perceptions of various types of risk. A technique to verify tubal occlusion would be needed for women and providers to accept NSPC.
DOI
10.1016/j.contraception.2015.03.002
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/14440
Citation Details
Harrington Elizabeth K., Gordon Diana, Osgood-Roach Isabel, Jensen Jeffrey T., Aengst Jennifer, Conceptualizing risk and effectiveness: A qualitative study of women’s and providers’ perceptions of nonsurgical female permanent contraception, Contraception (2015)
Included in
Anthropology Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons
Description
This is the authors's unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication in the Elsevier journal Contraception.
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