WASHINGTON, DC (August 5, 2025)—Much of the work to improve access to contraception has focused on removing barriers to seeing providers and using different methods, but having enough information to make decisions about contraception is also important. In a study selected as the Editor’s Choice for the July/August Women’s Health Issues, the authors conducted a nationally representative survey and found that more than a quarter of respondents felt they did not have enough information to make decisions about the contraceptive methods that were best for them, or they were unsure.
Women’s Health Issues is the official journal of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health, which is based at the Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University.
Ariana H. Bennett, DrPH, MPH, of the Sexual Health and Reproductive Equity Program at the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues conducted a nationally representative online survey among 15- to 44-year-olds assigned female sex at birth. They asked respondents, “Do you feel like you currently have enough information to make a decision about the birth control method(s) that is best for you?” and, for those who answered “no” or “I’m not sure,” followed it with the question “What information do you feel that you need to make a decision about the birth control method(s) that is best for you?” The survey also asked about past experiences of discussing contraception with providers and satisfaction with current use or non-use of contraception.
Bennett and colleagues report that out of 3,037 respondents, approximately 12% did not feel they had enough information to decide about contraception, and 15% were unsure. Among those who either did not have enough information or were unsure, one-third reported needing more information about side effects. Those who reported receiving person-centered contraceptive counseling and who had not experienced discrimination in a family planning setting were more likely to report having sufficient information than those who had not received person-centered contraceptive counseling and those who had experienced five to nine types of discrimination, respectively. Those who felt they had enough information were more likely to be satisfied with their current method or non-use of contraception.
High school-aged respondents (15-17 years) and gay and lesbian respondents across age groups were less likely to feel that they had enough information, and the authors note that this suggests sex education might be inadequate and not sufficiently addressing the needs of LGBTQ+ youth. “Taken together, these findings point to the need to make information, whether in a clinical or educational setting, more inclusive and available,” the authors write. “Perceived lack of information is an inequity that interferes with individuals’ ability to pursue their personal SRH [sexual and reproductive health] goals and experience reproductive autonomy.”
“In addition to presenting a new metric for an underappreciated aspect of contraceptive access, this study also shows why person-centered care is so important,” said Karen McDonnell, Editor-in-Chief of Women's Health Issues and associate professor of prevention and community health at Milken Institute SPH. “At a time when Title X and Medicaid providers face disastrous federal funding cuts, we must ensure that elected officials understand the importance of respectful, high-quality contraceptive care that centers the individual and makes sure they have the information they need.”
“Perception of Having Enough Information to Make Contraceptive Decisions: A Novel Metric of Person-Centered Contraceptive Access” has been published in the July/August 2025 issue of Women’s Health Issues.