Sexual, relationship, contraceptive and personal factors influencing emergency contraception use: a qualitative study

BackgroundEmergency contraception (EC) has not achieved its abortion reduction potential in the United States in part due to nonuse. Understanding use behaviors may increase EC promotion.Study DesignInterviews were conducted with 30 EC users aged 18–35 years. Interviews were analyzed for salient themes using ATLAS/ti. We used an analytical framework including personal context (life circumstances motivating pregnancy prevention), contraceptive context (knowledge, attitudes and experience), sexual context (planned/unplanned intercourse) and relationship context.ResultsOur sample was primarily college-educated, nulliparous, single women. EC users were motivated to prevent pregnancy, but unwilling or unable to use contraceptive methods due to ambivalence, fear, limited access or difficulty with use. Favorable attitudes toward EC, desire to defer pregnancy, infrequent intercourse, partner support of EC and relationship instability facilitated EC use.ConclusionsEC fills an important gap in preventing pregnancy for motivated women who struggle with contraceptive use. Contextual factors informed women's EC behaviors.