Contraceptive failure in the news

A US study finds that one in three teenagers who report using condoms are either not doing so or are using them incorrectly, a US study has found; while in the UK, a woman has become pregnant with two sets of twins despite being on the Pill.

Of 715 girls and women aged 15-21 years old who completed computer-based interviews, 186 said they had had sex in past two weeks and consistently used a condom. But 34 per cent had evidence of sperm in their vaginal fluid, as assessed using Y-chromosome polymerase chain reaction.

‘The unfortunate result, in terms of risk for STDs and HIV, is the same,’ the researchers comment.

In the UK, newspapers have reported the case of a woman who has given birth to two sets of twins despite being on the Pill. Carly O’Brien, 22, became pregnant with her first pair of twins in 2006. She subsequrntly switched to a stronger Pill but became pregnant with twins again last year and gave birth to another son and daughter just before Christmas. It is thought that the odds on such an event taking place are about 11.3million to one.

Teens failing to use condoms properly. Healthcare Republic, 19 January 2009

The Validity of Teens’ and Young Adults’ Self-reported Condom Use. Rose E, Diclemente RJ, Wingood GM, Sales JM, Latham TP, Crosby RA, Zenilman J, Melendez J, Hardin J. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2009 Jan;163(1):61-4.

Mother gives birth to two sets of twins - despite being on the Pill. Daily Telegraph, 1 February 2009

Also read:

Why contraception fails, by Professor James Trussell. In Abortion and Women’s Lives, Abortion Review Special Edition 2.

‘Be as spontaneous as you like…’: BPAS’s LARC promotion campaign.