Trends in the use of oral contraceptives among Dutch young women 1975–1981

Prompted by a recent report of a decrease in the use of oral contraceptive in the U.S.A., we investigated the trends by age and time of oral contraceptives use among Dutch young women, born between 1955 and 1970. They participated in a follow-up study of risk-indicators for cardiovascular disease. A random sample of 596 subjects, initially aged 5–19, and selected from an open population, was invited for annual exams since 1975; 462 youngsters (226 girls) underwent at least three annual exams. They were asked each year whether they used oral contraceptives. Analysis of the trend by age showed an increase of the proportion of oral contraceptives users from less than 5% at an age of 15 to about 50% at 23 years of age. In the 1959–1962 birth-cohort, the proportion of users was twice as large as that of the 1955–1968 cohort. The 1963–1966 cohort followed the pattern of the 1959–1962 birth-cohort. These findings indicate that there has been a strong increase in the use of oral contraceptives among Dutch women born after 1958. We found no evidence for a recent decrease in the use of oral contraceptives in the Netherlands among young women.