Crisis Pregnancy Agency Urges Women Over 35 to Think Contraception
Research shows that some women over 35 do not use contraception because they believe they are menopausal
The Crisis Pregnancy Agency is urging women over 35 to use contraception if they do not wish to become pregnant. The call comes after the publication of the “The Irish Study of Sexual Health and Relationships” which found that 15% of women between 35 and 44 had not used contraception at most recent intercourse even when they did not wish to become pregnant.
The study showed that many women and their partners in their late 30s and early 40s assumed that they were menopausal and had a low risk of pregnancy, so did not use contraception. However, very few women are infertile before the age of 45. Other reasons why women in this age group did not use contraception were that they didn’t mind if they became pregnant (20%), sex was not planned (7%), they didn’t think to use contraception (7%) or they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs (5%).
Commenting on these findings, Caroline Spillane, Director, Crisis Pregnancy Agency said: “Women in their late 30s and early 40s need to be made more aware of their fertility– and if they do not wish to become pregnant they need to use contraception consistently. Crisis Pregnancy is not exclusively an issue affecting young women. A pregnancy can be a crisis for women over 35 who may feel that they have completed their family, who may have started back to work or education, or who may be single, separated or divorced.”
The research found that 16% of all women who were pregnant aged 35-54 reported that the pregnancy was a crisis. The Crisis Pregnancy Agency funds counselling services throughout the country that can help women of this age group. For a list of these agencies, women can free text the word “list” to 50444.
Speaking on the issue, Dr Claire McNicholas, a GP with a busy surgery in Dublin said: “From the age of 35 onwards some women begin to experience a change in their menstrual cycles; their periods can become heavier, more irregular or sometimes stop for weeks or months. Women need to know that even if their periods stop or become irregular, they can still become pregnant. A woman under 50 must be period free for two years, before she can stop using contraception. A woman over 50 must be period free for 1 year before she can stop using contraception. These subtle differences make contraception a complex subject for women when the menstrual cycle starts to change. Women should talk to their GP to get advice on what is right for them.”
The Irish Study of Sexual Health and Relationships found that the most common methods of contraception used by women aged 35-44 are condoms (40%), the oral contraceptive pill (21%) sterilisation (19%) and the Coil/IUD/Mirena (13%). In discussing their attitudes towards different methods of contraception, 65% of women aged 35-44 said that the medical side effects of the pill would discourage them from using it. Negative beliefs about the side-effects of the pill were associated with a higher risk of crisis pregnancy.
As women get older, different methods of contraception become more suitable. For more information on these methods, women can talk to their GP or pick up the “Contraception 35-55” leaflet, produced by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, from the local pharmacy, GP surgery or directly from the Crisis Pregnancy Agency.
For a copy of the Irish Study of Sexual Health and Relationships, visit: www.crisispregnancy.ie. For a hard copy of the report call the Crisis Pregnancy Agency 01-8146292.
For more information or for an interview with Dr Claire McNicholas on contraception methods for women aged 35-55, please contact:
Orla Mc Gowan
Programmes and Communications Officer
Phone: 01-8146293
Mobile: 086-3785366
