Making smart contraceptive choices 

Women and girls want to understand the full range of contraceptive methods and hear about others’ experiences with them. They also often turn to social media, where they encounter negative stories and misinformation. Healthcare professionals—such as general practitioners, gynaecologists and midwives—play a crucial role in navigating women and girls to reliable information around their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Rutgers supports these professionals, both in the Netherlands and internationally, and provides evidence-based information through, for instance, schools, community events and online platforms.

Meanwhile, fertility-awareness methods are often promoted online as “natural contraception,” while hormonal methods are discouraged. What’s often overlooked is that these methods, which rely on predicting ovulation and fertile days, are less reliable and require meticulous application. If women are aware of the risks and choose these methods knowingly, that’s a decision they have the right to make. However, research shows that 61% of young women miscalculate their fertile days, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancies for them and their partners. 

Does this mean we should discourage fertility-awareness methods entirely and claim hormonal contraception is risk-free? It’s not that simple. Women must have the autonomy to choose the method that’s right for them based on personal considerations. Reliability may not be the only factor influencing their decision. 

Both young people and adults need the right information to make choices about their bodies, contraception, and family planning. They should know the full range of options, understand how different hormones in contraceptives work, and learn the pros and cons of each method. They also need guidance on proper use and the reliability of different methods. However, it’s important to acknowledge that each person’s body may react differently to hormonal contraceptives, and sometimes it takes a few months of trial and error, as side effects often fade as the body adjusts to the new hormonal balance. 

Roughly 121 million unintended pregnancies worldwide occurred each year between 2015 and 2019, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute. Of these unintended pregnancies, 61% ended in abortion. This translates to 73 million abortions per year. 

If we want to continue preventing unintended pregnancies in the future, combating misinformation must be part of this effort. This way, governments around the world can save a lot of personal and public suffering, as well as costs.

Do you want to learn more about what contraceptive methods are or which ones there are? You can visit our site, Zanzu, to read all about this and more.