Facts about Contraception

• The age of first sex has fallen in Ireland, but the majority of people do not have sex before they reach the age of consent. For 18-24 year olds, the median age of first sex is 17 for both men and women (ISSHR, 2006).
• The most common reasons for not using contraception were not being prepared or unplanned sex (ICCP, 2004).
• Almost half of men (45%) and a quarter (26%) of women agreed that drinking alcohol had contributed to them having sex without using contraception (ICCP, 2004).
• 20 % of men and women under the age of 25 said that alcohol/taking drugs had contributed to them having unprotected sex in the past (ISSHR, 2006).
• We know from research that most people (71%) said they had always used a method of contraception or precaution in the past year (ISSHR, 2006).
• A HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme (CPA) study found that individuals who had sex before the age of 17 are more likely to display lower levels of contraceptive use later in life (ISSHR, 2006).
• A CPA funded study found that condoms and the contraceptive pill were the most common methods of contraception used at most recent sexual intercourse (ISSHR, 2006).
• Condoms are the most frequently used method of contraception by 18 to 24 year olds.  78% reported using condoms on the most recent sexual encounter (ISSHR, 2006).
• The contraceptive pill is the second most popular form of contraception with 38% of 18 to 24 year olds or their partners using the pill (ISSHR, 2006).
• Regarding consistency of condom use, ISSHR reported that 42% of men and 49% of women aged 18-24 reported inconsistent condom use in the past year (ISSHR, 2006).
• 16% of 18 to 24 year olds did not use contraception on the most recent sexual encounter because sex ‘had not been planned’. 15% reported that they ‘did not think to use’ contraception (ISSHR, 2006).
• 30.5% of men and 26.2% of women reported embarrassment as a barrier to accessing contraception services. Men were significantly more likely than women to agree that embarrassment was a barrier (31.3%) (ISSHR, 2006).

Think Contraception!