Contraceptive use among cisgender women with bacterial sexually transmitted infections: A cross-sectional study. (August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Blain, Michela; Micks, Elizabeth; Dombrowski, Julia; Balkus, Jennifer E; Barbee, Lindley
• Is Part Of: International journal of STD & AIDS. Volume 33:Number 9(2022)
• Page Start: 864
• Page End: 872
• Publication Date: 2022-08
• Subjects: Chlamydia -- Gonorrhea -- Syphilis -- Women -- North America; Sexually transmitted diseases -- Periodicals; AIDS (Disease) -- Periodicals; 616.951
• DOI: 10.1177/09564624221110993
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0956-4624

Abstract

Background: Data on contraceptive use among women with bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are sparse, despite this population's high risk for unplanned pregnancy. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1623 cisgender women recently diagnosed with a bacterial STI who completed a public health Partner Services interview between January 2017 and December 2019 in King County, WA, USA. Contraceptive methods were categorized as: (1) highly or moderately effective and (2) least effective or no method. Poisson regression models were used to assess associations between individual characteristics and contraceptive method. Results: Almost two thirds of the women (62.6%) reported using highly or moderately effective contraception, with 30.3% of women using long-acting contraception (LARC). More than one in three women (37.4%) reported using least effective methods or no method. Black women were less likely to report using a highly or moderately effective method compared to White women (aRR 0.58, 95% CI 0.43–0.80) and women with private insurance were more likely to report using a highly or moderately effective method compared to those with public insurance (aRR 1.67, 95% CI 1.28–2.19). Conclusions: Given that many women with bacterial STIs are not desiring pregnancy, this study highlights the need for additional reproductive health services for women with recent STI diagnoses.