CONTRACEPTIVE USE AND ATTITUDES IN REUNIFIED GERMANY

Contraceptive use and attitudes were assessed in a random sample of 10 64 German women. The majority (76%) of the sexually active, fertile wo men who were not pregnant and did not wish to get pregnant at the time of the survey were using very reliable contraceptive methods, namely oral contraceptives (OCs), intrauterine devices (IUDs) or sterilizatio n. Comparison with a previous survey showed that contraceptive practic e in West Germany had improved considerably since 1985. Attitudes towa rds the most reliable methods available (OCs, IUDs and sterilization) were found to be ambivalent. Perceived side effects and health risks w ere a particular matter of concern to the respondents. Although most r espondents (88%) recognized that condoms prevent the transmission of A IDS, 66% of those who had occasional sexual partners did not use barri er methods. It is concluded that German contraceptive practice is reas onably effective and that if attitudes were to become more realistic t he level of effectiveness could even be raised.