Sexual orientation-related differences in contraceptive use: A brief report based on a cohort of adolescent and young women.

OBJECTIVES

To examine contraceptive methods used by adolescent/young adult women of diverse sexual orientations.

STUDY

DESIGN

We collected data from 12,902 females, born 1982-1995, from the longitudinal Growing Up Today Study.

RESULTS

Compared to heterosexuals, lesbians were half as likely to use contraceptives; other sexual minority subgroups (e.g., bisexuals) were more likely to use contraceptives, particularly long-acting reversible contraceptives.

CONCLUSIONS

Many sexual minority women use contraception throughout adolescence/young adulthood, though use is low among lesbians.

IMPLICATIONS: With limited contraception use, lesbians miss opportunities for care and need to be brought into the healthcare system in other ways.