Contraception: the pill is no longer popular among young women aged 15 to 24

in collaboration with

Geoffroy Robin (gynecologist)

The pill used in 44% of cases, compared to 60% in 2016

Authorized in France since 1967, the contraceptive pill is in decline among young women aged 15 to 24: they would be 44% to use it. This is at least what a survey by the BVA polling institute, published on Tuesday, and carried out with a panel of 700 young women, on behalf of the Effik laboratory, reports.

However, the pill remains their first choice in terms of contraception, but it is no longer self-evident, especially if this figure is compared to the latest data from Public Health France. In its 2016 barometer, devoted to contraception, the agency indicates that “the maximum frequency of pill use is recorded among 15-19 year olds (60.4%) and 20-24 year olds (59.5%)”. Its use subsequently declines steadily, according to this report.

Worry and fear of hormones

Geoffroy Robin is a gynecologist at the Lille University Hospital and general secretary of the National Syndicate of Obstetrician Gynecologists of France (SYNGOF). He says to himself “surprised” by the figures echoed by the BVA survey, even if, he admits, “the recent scandals around the pill and the risk of thrombosis have upset behavior vis-à-vis this method of contraception” : “Many patients are worried, which contrasts with the beginning of my practice, twenty years ago. At the time, when it was necessary to prescribe a pill, there was practically no stress. Today it is much more complicated”.

In addition, this change in attitude is to be related to the preservation of the environment. An increasingly meaningful discourse when it comes to choosing contraception. “I hear more and more young girls telling me that they don’t want to pollute the oceans with their hormones”, confirms our interlocutor. This concentration is infinitesimal. But the argument is admissible, of course.

Preconceived ideas that persist

If the concern to preserve the planet is commendable, other reasons for refusing the pill are based, on the other hand, on a certain number of clichés, not supported by scientific research, but which nevertheless continue to be conveyed. , especially on social networks. Thus, again according to the BVA survey, 71% of young women questioned said they had doubts about the increased risk of developing cancer caused by contraceptive pills and 57% about their fertility. “I do a lot of medically assisted procreation (PMA), and many of my patients explain their difficulty in having infertility children by the fact that they have taken the pill for years, testifies Dr. Robin. This is absolutely false: it has been widely demonstrated that with the pills we have today, there is no blockage on ovulation or any effect on fertility.”

And to insist:The pill does not cause polycystic ovary syndrome or premature ovarian failure, nor androgyny, and all that, without relaying the benefits that the pill can have for certain patients.” Benefits that are cited by those surveyed: 8% of them know, for example, that taking the contraceptive pill can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 50%. “On the other hand, what young women do not know is that the pill has a protective effect against endometrial cancer or even on cancer of the colon and rectum, without anyone knowing how to explain it (- 30 %)”, adds Dr. Robin.

Regarding the increased risk of breast cancer, “it exists, but is very low, around 1.3%, compared to women who do not take the pill, and moreover in very young women where the risk of having breast cancer is already not important. The pill would rather have a promoting effect on precancerous lesions”.

Stick to the risk-benefit balance

The pill remains a drug, and as such can be poorly tolerated. “It is above all necessary to help women find their contraception, without making them feel guilty.”, underlines the specialist.

But, no doubt, it is necessary to reorient the discourse around the positive effects of this method of contraception. By taking inspiration, moreover, from the reasons that lead 15-24 year olds to take it, and which have less to do with contraception as such, than with a form of “well-being”. Indeed, for a number of young women questioned, taking a contraceptive pill aims above all to reduce the pain of menstruation (38%), to regulate cycles (21%), to have fewer periods (21%) or yet to treat acne (21%). We could also mention the interest of the pill in preventing osteoporosis. “It’s a question of benefit-risk, you have to take the time to explain it”, sums up Geoffroy Robin.

A need for information

This is all the more necessary since the BVA survey reveals a certain number of shortcomings. Example: 50% of respondents do not know that the average length of their cycle is 28 days. But obviously, they are aware of their ignorance, since, at the same time, they are 58% to want more information. “A first consultation for contraception takes me 45 minutessays the gynecologist. Adolescents, in general, are quite ignorant of the physiology of their sexuality and reproduction, the finding is even quite catastrophic in this regard.”

This could be an opportunity to also provide information on contraception so that future young women can acquire not only knowledge, but also a critical mind that protects them from false rumors and other “fake news”. As a reminder: the law theoretically imposes sex education lessons at school, which are too often badly done, when they are offered.