FREE ESSAY ON CONTACEPTIVE USE

CONTACEPTIVE USE

CONTRACEPTIVE USE AT FIRST INTERCOURSE
The 1995 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) report on Contraceptive Use at
First Intercourse presented tables of data based on women population 15 to 44 years of
age in the U.S. who had voluntary premarital intercourse. The tables illustrate
percentages of women that used contraceptives and selected methods of contraceptives
during first time intercourse. This information is broken down by age, race and Hispanic
origin, and year of first intercourse.
The data indicates that in general contraceptive use during first time intercourse
increases with age. As illustrated in the age group table, only 51.4 percent of teenagers
under 16 years of age used contraceptives during first time intercourse as opposed to
65.6 percent of women 20 years of age and over. There was however, a slight decrease in
percentage from 61.5 to 60.0 percent in women 18 to 19 years of age, respectively. 
In terms of race, the overall trend indicates that Hispanic women were the group least
likely to use contraceptives during first time intercourse. In comparison to non-Hispanic
white 64.8 percent, and non-Hispanic black 50.1 percent, only 36.2 percent of Hispanic
women used contraception. This trend is supported by data based on first time intercourse
between 1990 to 1995 for women grouped by race under 20 years of age, and over 20 years
of age. The data illustrates that 52.8 percent of Hispanic women under 20 used
contraception, and over the age of 20 there was an increase to 53.7 percent. The data on
black women under 20 years of age; 72.1 percent, and over 20 years of age; 72.4 percent.
But, when comparing this data to white women, the gap between white and Hispanic women
increases even further. White women under 20 years of age; 83.0 percent, and over 20
years of age; 81.5 percent. This raw data, unfortunately, does not give any indication of
subgroups within each race group and their socioeconomic status that may help to explain
these gaps among women. But, this data does present the basis for further studies to
explain why such gaps exist.
The trend of contraception use at first intercourse has increased over time. Since before
1980, contraception use steadily increased from 50.2 percent to 75.9 percent in 1995.
Women in general, 59.0 percent, including other races and origin groups not included in
the report, used contraceptives during first time intercourse. Also, in general for all
women under 20 years of age, from 1990 to 1995, the most common method of contraception
used during first time intercourse was the condom by 60.4 percent of the population
sample. The second was the pill by 11.3 percent. However, there was a significant shift
from the use of condoms for women under 20 years of age to the pill for women over the
age of 20. The condom contraception method dropped to 32.9 percent and the pill method
increased to 30.6 percent.
In terms of specific race, the same trend occurred. According to the 1990 to 1995 data,
the condom was the most common contraception method during first time intercourse by
white, black, and Hispanic women under 20 years of age. But, for women over 20 years of
age, there was an increase in the use of the pill and a drop in condom use during first
time intercourse. Despite the drop, the condom remained as the most common contraception
method used by black and Hispanic women over 20 years of age. But, for white women over
the age of 20, the pill was used 39.9 percent as opposed to only 33.3 percent of the
condom method.
The method of contraceptive use has changed dramatically over time. Before 1980, only
18.3 percent of women used condoms during first time intercourse, and 19.9 percent used
the pill. From 1985 to 1989, the use of condoms doubled to 36.4 percent, and the use of
the pill remained relatively the same. The contraceptive methods continued to shift
between 1990 to 1995. By this time, 54.3 percent of women used condoms as opposed to 15.5
percent use of the pill during first time intercourse. An explanation for this shift may
be due to the AIDS epidemic in the early 80's and AIDS awareness which forced society to
speak openly about safe sex and practice safer methods of contraception.