Study: Contraception use among sexually active women wanting to avoid pregnancy, 2019/2020
Released: 2025-02-10
A new study released today uses data from the 2019 and 2020 cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey to examine the prevalence of contraception use among sexually active women wanting to avoid pregnancy.
Overall, one in five women wanting to avoid pregnancy report that they and their partner did not use contraception the last time they had sex
During the period from 2019 to 2020, although the majority (79.9%) of women wanting to avoid pregnancy reported that they and their partner used contraception the last time they had sex, one in five (20.1%) reported not using contraception.
Contraception use varied according to certain characteristics. For instance, contraception use declined with age, with about 9 in 10 women aged 15 to 24 years (89.6%) reporting that they and their partner used contraception, while the same was true for 84.2% of women aged 25 to 34 years and 74.0% of those aged 35 to 49 years. Contraception use was also lower among both recent (72.6%) and established (74.6%) immigrant women, relative to their non-immigrant counterparts (81.4%).
Condoms are the most commonly used method of contraception
Among the different methods of contraception studied, condoms were the most commonly used method from 2019 to 2020, with one-third (33.0%) of women wanting to avoid pregnancy reporting that they and their partner used a condom the last time they had sex. This was followed by the birth control pill (22.3%), a vasectomy or tubal sterilization (15.8%) and the intrauterine device (13.5%). Less commonly used methods included traditional methods (4.3%), other methods (2.4%) and other hormonal methods (2.1%).
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Note to readers
This study focuses on women aged 15 to 49 years who reported that they had sex with a man in the past 12 months. The analysis was restricted to women who indicated that they were not currently pregnant and strongly agreed or agreed that it was important for them to avoid getting pregnant right now.
Women were categorized as having used contraception the last time they had sex if they reported using a condom and/or other methods of contraception. Traditional methods include withdrawal or pulling out and the rhythm method (i.e., tracking ovulation cycle). Other methods include spermicidal foam, jelly, cream, film, suppository and "other." Other hormonal methods include injection, hormonal implant, contraceptive patch and vaginal contraceptive ring.
Additional information about the data source, methods and definitions are available in the study.
Products
The study "Contraception use among sexually active women wanting to avoid pregnancy," as part of Studies on Gender and Intersecting Identities (45-20-0002), is now available.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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