Most abortions in Norway occur after no contraception was used at all. In 2022, there were close to 12,000 of them altogether. But over 4,000 of those who had an abortion had done something or other to avoid getting pregnant. Whether it was using a condom, the birth control pill or “jumping off at the turn” as a method. – They are in shock. They are very frustrated, says head of court Kristin Bolli Stølan. She works in the foundation Amathea, which helps women and couples who have become pregnant without their plans. Last year, the court leaders at the branch in Trondheim had over 500 women and couples visit. Most of the women are between 25 and 34 years old, and a good number of them used contraception when they became pregnant. – The first reaction is perhaps despair, why hasn’t it worked? I find that those who are in that situation are very surprised that it could happen. Photo: Sverre Lilleeng / news Figures from the Abortion Register show what types of contraception are used by those who decide to have an abortion. But this does not say which contraceptive provides the best protection against pregnancy. The recommendation Doctor Trine Aarvold at Sex og samfunn has the answer. She works at the largest clinic for sexual health in Norway. They also create an encyclopedia that health nurses and doctors in the rest of the country use. – Long-term contraception such as the IUD and the contraceptive pill are the safest we have, says Aarvold. The reason is that you cannot do anything wrong yourself, since they are placed inside the body and last between three and eight years. The other methods, such as pills, plasters and rings, can also be safe. – But that depends on you being good at using contraception correctly, says Aarvold. Doctor Trine Aarvold at Sex and society gives advice to young people about contraception. Photo: Sverre Lilleeng / news She often spends time with her patients to find out what suits them best. Then she discusses, for example, how good one is at thinking, and has a good system in life. It can determine whether she recommends using birth control pills and progestagen pills. – For some it is not safe, and perhaps especially for the youngest users who have not become accustomed to taking a pill every single day. Studies are perfect, but the world is not. Before there are new contraceptives that you can use, they must go through thorough studies. This applies especially to those with hormones. The studies will show what side effects the methods have, and how many users become pregnant within a year. But those who are selected to test the contraceptives are followed up closely by the people behind the studies. Birth control pills protect well against pregnancy when used correctly. Photo: Erlend Lånke Solbu/Susanne Stubberud Rom / news It also has consequences for the result. – Those who take part in such studies very rarely become pregnant. They are extra motivated, and we therefore call speaking from such studies “perfect use”, says Aarvold. Therefore, for example, birth control pills are calculated on the Pearl index to be a good deal safer in studies than in real life. According to this overview, only 3 out of 1,000 women become pregnant with the pill each year. But the researchers have also checked how many became pregnant with contraception without the women being followed up so closely. It then turned out that nearly 70 out of 1,000 became pregnant while on the pill. The bottom line This overview shows how safe the various contraceptive methods are. Source: E-method book for sexual health P-stav is the one with the fewest pregnancies during a year. Then come the hormone and copper coils. In third place is the contraceptive injection, and it is only in fourth place that we find birth control pills and progestogen pills. They share fourth place with the birth control ring and birth control patch. The condom has fifth place. Aarvold at Sex og Samfunn emphasizes that there is no reason to scare people from using birth control pills or progestagen pills. Because it is the women themselves who have to find out what works best for them. Hi! So glad you’ve read this far! Do you have input on the case you have read, or other topics you think we should look into more closely? Send us an e-mail! In the past, we have written about: We would like to hear from you!
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That’s how safe contraception actually is – one in three abortions in Norway is taken after using contraception – news Trøndelag
