Acceptability and satisfaction using Quick Start with the contraceptive vaginal ring versus an oral contraceptive

Background: Many women discontinue their use of hormonal contraception, and even those who continue so may have difficulty using oral contraceptive pills consistently. New delivery systems, including the vaginal ring, may be easier to use, but user acceptability and satisfaction with these new methods may be affected by women's experience with their bodies. Materials and Methods: Data for this study were collected as part of a randomized clinical trial on 201 women comparing immediate start of vaginal ring use with immediate start of low-dose oral contraceptive use. We assessed user satisfaction and method continuation 3 months after ring or pill initiation. Results: At 3 months, 174 of 201 subjects (87%) had follow-up interviews. Among the 174 study participants with follow-up data, 61% of ring subjects and 34% of pill subjects were very satisfied with their methods (p=.003). For posttrial contraception, 79% of ring subjects chose to continue with the ring whereas 59% of pill subjects chose to continue with the pill (p <.001). Women who reported greater comfort in touching their genitals, greater frequency of masturbation, more comfort with intercourse and past use of vaginal contraceptives and products were not more likely than others to be satisfied with the ring or to continue using it for birth control. Conclusion: Women who were allocated to vaginal ring use, regardless of their baseline characteristics or behavior, were likely to be highly satisfied with the method and to continue its use. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.