Predictors of oral contraceptive use among teenaged girls in southeastern Hungary.

Objective: To assess the main determinants of oral contraceptive (OC) use among teenaged girls in southeastern Hungary.

Methods: A questionnaire was self-administered by 332 participants aged 14 to 19 years seen at the Contraception Outpatient Clinic for Teenagers located in the Department of the Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Szeged from May 1, 2005, to March 31, 2006.

Results: Approximately half of the respondents (48.2%) used OCs, and only 21.9% of the OC users considered OC cost unimportant (vs 59% of the non-OC users). A considerable proportion in each group knew little about the fertile period of a menstrual cycle (43.1% vs 46.5%) and had an insufficient knowledge of the recommendations regarding pill use (66.6% vs 77.9%). Most (76.2%) of the participants intended to use OCs in the future. Intending to use OCs was strongly associated with the prevention of menstrual disorders (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 4.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.4-10.5) and the opinion that OCs did not interfere with sex life (AOR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.3-5.1).

Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the knowledge of teenaged girls concerning the correct use of OCs and the differences in fertility during the menstrual cycle is often inadequate and should be improved.