Epidemiology of contraception with steroids in Western Europe.

A study of contraceptive practice, essential knowledge and communication concerning contraception as well as the related perceptions was conducted among women aged 15-44 in Italy, France, Great Britain, Spain and the Federal Republic of Germany in the years 1984 and 1985. The pattern of contraceptive use and its differential varied strongly between countries. Knowledge, information and communications were observed to be different to a similar degree. Motives for changing contraceptive methods were largely inspired by concern for health and, to a lesser degree, reliability. Perceptions of contraceptive methods were found to be reasonably well in concurrence with reality, with the important exception of the perceptions of the health hazards of the pill which were largely overestimated, giving oral contraception and injustified bad image where effects on health are concerned.