Women's Contraceptive Perceptions, Beliefs, and Attitudes: An Integrative Review of Qualitative Research

Abstract

Introduction: Unintended pregnancy rates will remain high until researchers explore the lived experience of women's relationships with contraception. This integrative review examines the extant qualitative literature on women's contraception to illuminate common themes in women's perspectives through the lens of the feminist poststructuralist framework. Methods: A literature review of PubMed and CINAHL databases was completed for English-language studies conducted in the United States from January 2008 through September 2018 that qualitatively examined women's perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes regarding contraception. Reports, dissertations, mixed-methods research, and literature reviews were excluded. The sample, methods, and findings of 19 studies were reviewed. Themes were identified using the 5 major tenets of the feminist poststructuralist framework: discourse, power, language, subjectivity, and agency. Results: Themes of power imbalance between partners and health care providers; societal and communal discourses on femininity and motherhood; distrust of hormonal contraception; the ability to enhance personal agency through contraceptive decision making; and a need for open, patient-focused communication arose from the 19 studies included in the review. Discussion: Using a feminist poststructuralist framework to examine women's contraceptive perceptions illuminates and magnifies the many ways in which contraceptive beliefs and use are dependent on gender roles and power dynamics. Gaps in knowledge specific to older women and exploration of women's subjectivity should be addressed. Clinicians should evaluate the power structures inherent to their practice while providing woman-focused, evidence-based contraceptive education.

Quality of Life and Health Status of Jordanian Women Users of Various Contraceptive Methods and Associated Factors: Implications for Contraceptive Policies

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The Reproductive Health Priorities, Concerns, and Needs of Women in Midlife: A Feminist Poststructuralist Qualitative Analysis

“…Contraceptive fatigue was rarely noted and tended to exist in instances where women were not satisfied with their method or where power imbalances existed. The negative effects of power imbalances on contraceptive use has been noted in prior literature (Alspaugh et al, 2020; Bergmann & Stockman, 2015; Grace et al, 2020; Park et al, 2016). Power imbalance is often a precursor to more serious forms of reproductive coercion and should be more closely examined within the context of contraceptive provision (Grace et al, 2020).…”

Narratives on Sex and Contraception From Pregnant Adolescent Women in a Northern Province in Thailand: A Phenomenological Study

“…Power manifested in contraceptive negotiations often includes the male partner taking a stance against using contraception, particularly condoms. 12 Prominent reasons for male opposition to contraception use within a heterosexual union include the negative percention that is may lead to female promiscuity and lack of adequate knowledge about contraceptives. 13 Inequitable gender norms result in male control over partners, and females not having full autonomy to make reproductive decisions, potentially resulting in unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).…”