‘Significant increase’ in women seeking abortions who use natural contraceptive methods, study suggests
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Researchers have found women in the UK have moved away from ‘more reliable’ hormonal contraceptives such as the pill, to ‘fertility awareness-based methods’. There has been a “significant increase” in the proportion of women seeking abortions who are using natural methods to prevent pregnancy rather than hormonal contraceptives, a study has suggested.
Anecdotal evidence suggests the increase in natural birth control methods, which include fertility tracking apps, has been influenced by the rise of “hormone hesitancy” on social media, new research highlights. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have highlighted a shift in contraceptive use across the UK in the last five years, from "more reliable" hormonal contraceptives such as the pill, to "fertility awareness-based methods".
The researchers looked at data from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) to explore what methods of contraception women who requested abortions were using and compared two periods of time: January to June 2018, which included 33,495 women, and January to June 2023, which included 55,055 women.
Researchers found reported use of fertility awareness-based methods at the time of conception increased from 0.4 per cent in 2018 to 2.5 per cent in 2023, while the age of the women using these methods also fell from almost 30 to 27. These natural methods involve tracking menstrual cycles or symptoms of ovulation, such as changes to cervical mucus or basal body temperature, usually using smartphone apps.
