What women want and what their doctors need--how do women evaluate the quality of contraceptive methods and products introduced by their gynaecologist? A different perspective.

Is a doctor really aware of women's expectations and needs when choosing their contraceptive? When faced with making a decision about which contraceptive to chose, women often turn to their doctor for information and guidance. This is particularly the case with oral hormonal contraceptives. Nowadays women often demand more than just a pill that will provide reliable contraception--they expect additional benefits such as good cycle control, improvement in dysmenorrhoea and if possible a beneficial effect on hair and skin. The increased choice of available oral contraceptives places additional pressure on doctors to fully understand the products they are prescribing, in terms of both the physiological and the psychological effects they may have on their patients. Clinical guidelines need to be in place in order to manage any day-to-day problems that may arise. In addition doctors need to re-evaluate their relationship with their patients in order to provide what women really want.