Projects

The Contraception Project

In the landscape of reproductive health, a notable transformation has been unfolding in Germany over the past decades. The pill, once perceived as the pinnacle of hormonal contraception, has experienced a significant decline in popularity. Our latest research sheds light on a remarkable shift in the contraceptive choices of women in Germany, highlighting a growing preference for non-hormonal contraception methods.

Observing women’s contraceptive behavior in data from the German Family Panel (pairfam) from 2008 to 2021, we witness a substantial decrease in the use of hormonal contraception. This decline is primarily attributed to the diminishing dominance of the pill as the primary method of choice. In 2008, almost 80% of women relied on hormonal contraception for managing their reproductive health. By 2021, this number has plummeted to 45%. Concurrently, the proportion of women using non-hormonal contraception more than doubled, rising from 20% to nearly 55%.

Is this increase in non-hormonal contraception consistent for women across different generations? We compared the contraceptive behavior of women born in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, revealing an intriguing trend: The increasing popularity of non-hormonal contraception methods transcends generational boundaries. Particularly women of the younger generations, who were observed during most of their reproductive years in their twenties and thirties, changed their contraceptive behavior. Nearly every contracepting woman in these cohorts relied on hormonal methods in 2008, reaching a peak of around 90% in 2008). The subsequent decline of hormonal methods throughout the 2010s was a steady process and accompanied by a steep increase in the use of non-hormonal alternatives across generations.

Find more information and insights on our current research on contraceptive behavior and decisions under The Contraception Project.