Women in their 40s and 50s are continually overlooked in public health campaigns on contraception despite pregnancy still being possible until menopause.
It’s a concerning trend given only half of Australian women aged 45 to 50 have good overall knowledge of contraception.
The latest Jean Hailes National Women’s Health Survey of 3,537 women found many do not have a good understanding of the most effective forms of contraception. At least seven in 10 women aged 45-50 said they know “a lot or everything” about condoms, the withdrawal method, and the pill, but just three in 10 knew “a lot or everything” about long-active reversible contraceptives like IUDs and the contraceptive implant, injection, and ring.
Jean Hailes for Women’s Health CEO Dr Sarah White says this knowledge gap needs urgent attention, not only because contraception is still relevant for women in midlife, but because this group often acts as a trusted source of information for younger women.
“Women aged 45 to 50 are often left out of public health campaigns about contraceptives, despite the fact that pregnancy is still possible until menopause and some contraceptives can also help manage menopausal symptoms,” Dr White said.
Women in midlife also play a key role in supporting young women in their life with their contraception knowledge, Dr White says, with nearly half of Australian women aged 18 to 25 asking their mother for information about contraception.
“We know that many younger women turn to their mothers for information about sexual and reproductive health, including contraception, so it’s important that midlife women are supported with accurate, accessible information.”
Jean Hailes is pushing governments and public health organisations to include women in midlife as a key target audience in sexual and reproductive health education campaigns.
Dr White also warned against placing the responsibility of educating young women solely on their mothers, and said more needed to be done to reduce barriers to contraception knowledge.
“While women often play an important role in passing on health knowledge to the next generation, they shouldn’t be expected to be responsible for doing so – that’s where health professionals, schools and public health systems must step up,” Dr White said.
“The recent Senate inquiry into barriers to sexual and reproductive healthcare in Australia also called for better education around contraception, but the needs of midlife women are often left out of the conversation.”
Feature image: Dr Sarah White. Supplied by Jean Hailes.