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Does BMI Influence Contraceptive Use?
Contraception; ePub 2016 Sep 9; Bhuva, et al
Women who are overweight or obese may be reluctant to use contraceptive methods they believe are associated with weight gain, a recent study found. Using cross-sectional data from the MyNewOptions study, contraceptive use was analyzed among 987 privately-insured, sexually active women aged 18 to 40 years. Contraception was categorized into 3 groups: 1) long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), 2) non-LARC prescription methods, and 3) non-prescription methods/no method. Researchers found:
• 83 (8.4%) women were using LARCs, 490 (49.6%) were using non-LARC prescription methods, and 414 (42.0%) were using non-prescription methods/no method.
• Overweight (adjusted OR, 3.84) and obese women (aOR, 2.82) were significantly more likely to use LARCs compared with normal weight women.
• Overweight and obese women were more likely to use non-prescription methods/no method compared with non-LARC prescription methods.
• Weight perception was not associated with contraceptive use.
Bhuva K, Kraschnewski JL, Lehman EB, Chuang CH. Does body mass index or weight perception affect contraceptive use? [Published online ahead of print September 9, 2016]. Contraception. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2016.09.003.