In Latvia, one in four women aged 18 to 24 has never visited a gynecologist, while nearly one in three women of reproductive age does not use any contraceptive methods, according to a survey by the research company “Norstat,” the results of which were reported by the organizers of the initiative “Date with a Gynecologist.”
Especially often, contraception is not used by surveyed women aged 45 to 49 years - in this group, nearly four out of ten respondents indicated this.
Among younger women, this figure is also high. More than a third of surveyed women aged 18 to 24 do not use contraception. Regionally, the rarest use of contraception is recorded in Vidzeme, where 40% of surveyed women do not use it.
Among the methods of contraception used, condoms are most frequently mentioned, with 22% of women using them. The second most frequently mentioned method is withdrawal, which 21% of women rely on as a contraceptive method. The survey showed that in the age group of 25 to 34 years, nearly one in three women uses withdrawal as a method of contraception.
In turn, methods of contraception prescribed by a doctor, such as an IUD, hormonal pills, implant, vaginal ring, or patch, are chosen relatively less often, according to the survey data.
During the survey, 87% of women indicated that they would prefer to receive information about contraception from a gynecologist. Although more than half of women visit a gynecologist at least once a year, a significant portion has not discussed contraception with a doctor in the past two years. Moreover, 39% of women admit that they do not plan to do so.
The survey data show that in the age group of 18 to 24 years, one in four women has never visited a gynecologist. At the same time, in this age group, information about contraception is more often sought outside the healthcare system: one in four young women looks for it on social media, and some use artificial intelligence tools, such as “ChatGPT.”
The President of the Latvian Association of Gynecologists and Obstetricians, Lasma Lidaka, notes that the survey data highlight a significant contradiction: although most women want to receive information about reproductive health from a gynecologist, in practice, this conversation often does not take place.
Some women do not use any contraception, while others rely on less effective solutions, which means that important health decisions are often made without the support of a healthcare professional, Lidaka points out.
The specialist emphasizes that contraception is not only a matter of family planning but also a guarantee of women's overall health. According to Lidaka, the decision to use contraception should be made after a conversation with a specialist - a gynecologist, midwife, or family doctor.
To expand women's opportunities to receive consultations from specialists on contraception issues, on May 14, the initiative “Date with a Gynecologist” will take place across Latvia for the fifth year, during which women will have access to free consultations both in person and remotely.
