Determinants and Correlates of Preventive Behaviors at First Sex With a First Partner and Second Partner: Analysis of the FECOND Study

Abstract

Purpose This study explores transitions in contraceptive use in early sexual life in France and has three objectives: describe predictors of contraceptive use at first sex with first and second partners, describe contraceptive trajectories in these partnerships, and test associations between use at first sex and switching in first partnership on use with second partner. Methods Our analyses include 1,823 participants, aged 15-29, of the 2010 French national sexual health survey who reported at least 2 lifetime sexual partners and a subset of 1,593 people who report contraceptive use throughout their first partnership. We use logistic regression and generalized estimating equation models to investigate the three objectives. Results Our results reveal a decline in contraceptive use between first and second partner, driven primarily by decreases in condom use, from 87.9% to 79.5% between first and second partner. This is partially offset by an increase in use of effective methods (from 7.8% to 38.1%), particularly by women. Any method use and discontinuation with first partner were predictors of patterns with second partner. Conclusions Analysis of early transitions in contraceptive use of adolescents in early sexual life reveals shifts from STI to pregnancy prevention as well as an increase in unprotected sex. Implication and Contributions This study reveals changes in preventive behaviors in early sexual life, towards more effective contraceptives and a decline in condom use. Future studies could explore the relationship and gendered contexts in which trade-offs between pregnancy prevention and STI prevention are negotiated.

Contraceptive discontinuation: frequency and associated factors among undergraduate women in Brazil

“…We also found that as the number of sexual partners increased, the odds of pill discontinuation increased. This result may relate to our prior discussion about the need for STI prevention with new partners, which may lead some women to switch from pills to condoms when they start a new relationship [34]. In contrast, condom users at the start of their sexual lives (less than 1 year of sexual experience) were more likely to discontinue, a finding that corroborates the results of a previous study in Honduras [38].…”

“…Other studies have pointed to the strong connection between partnership and contraceptive use dynamics. Among couples, condoms are mainly used during casual relationships or in the beginning of a relationship to prevent against Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and are replaced by more effective contraception in more stable relationships [25, 34]. As relationships become more stable, many couples switch to hormonal methods, and the main reason to switch is the “supposed mutual trust”.…”

Teenage pregnancy prevention: the role of young men

“…Young men generally attribute this behavior change to low or no concern for STIs. The use of condoms in long-term relationships can even take on a negative connotation, as a sign of infidelity [7,9]; with a quarter of United States and French men discontinuing condom use before the end of their first relationship [10,11▪]. This transition period from a casual to a long-term relationship may be a time of high pregnancy risk, with a gap between cessation of condom use and initiation of female hormonal contraception [7].…”

Vírus da Imunodeficiência Humana no contexto ambulatorial: desvelando o perfil e formas de transmissão

“…A principal forma de transmissão do HIV é por meio da relação sexual desprotegida. Isso se deve, pelo baixo uso consciente do preservativo, que pode estar associado à possibilidade de diminuição do prazer e pode também ser potencializado quando acompanhado de uso de álcool ( Além disso, cada vez mais a população mais jovem está iniciando a vida sexual de forma precoce e muitas vezes sem o uso de preservativo, que pode ser parcialmente compensado pelo uso de anticoncepcional entre mulheres, aumentando sua vulnerabilidade sexual às Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis (IST), ao vislumbrar apenas a prevenção de gravidez e consequentemente contribuindo no aumento do sexo desprotegido (LANTOS H, et al, 2018).…”