Relationships between contraceptive method and sexual pleasure and satisfaction: Results from the Women's Wellbeing and Sexuality Survey

Background: We know little about how condoms and others contraceptives influence women's sexual enjoyment, which could potentially shape use patterns.

Methods: We used data from an online study of women's sexual health and functioning to examine how three categories of contraceptive use -- hormonal method only, condoms primarily, and dual use -- could help predict decreased sexual pleasure associated with contraceptive method and overall sexual satisfaction in the last four weeks.

Results: In analyses controlling for age, relationship length, and other variables, male condoms were most strongly associated with decreased pleasure, whether used alone or in conjunction with hormonal methods. Women who used hormonal methods alone were least likely to report decreased pleasure associated with their contraceptive method, but they also had significantly lower overall scores of sexual satisfaction compared with the other two groups. Dual users, or women who used condoms and a hormonal method, reported the highest sexual satisfaction scores.

Conclusions: Because male condoms were viewed by many of these women as decreasing their sexual pleasure, sexual risk practices are likely to be affected. Although hormonal only users were highly unlikely to report decreased pleasure, they reported lower sexual satisfaction compared with the other two groups. Dual users, who had the highest sexual satisfaction scores, may have been the most sexually satisfied because they felt more fully protected against unwanted pregnancy and STIs -- consistent with previous findings on "eroticizing safety." This preliminary study suggests that different contraceptives affect sexuality in various ways, warranting further research into these sexual dimensions and how they influence contraceptive practices.