Prevalence of contraceptive use in Italy: Comparison with European Countries

Contraception In all countries, the condom is the most widely utilized method, followed by hormonal contraception and coitus interruptus. In Italy, how- ever, hormonal contraception occupies a good third place. Although, overall, the majority of Italian men and women declared that they would like to avail themselves of the protection offered by modern contraception, the reality is sometimes different. Almost 50% of those interviewed did not use any protection at first intercourse. This may be due to the great popularity of spontaneous sex in Italy: more than 60% have declared that their first sexual encounter was spontaneous and 90% believe spontaneous sex is the best. Of those utilizing a method, approximately 70% declared that the condom was the method of choice; only 13% the young women utilized a hormonal pill, with a somewhat higher percentage having availed themselves of withdrawal by the man. This lack of protection at first intercourse is observed almost ubiquitously in Europe; however, in sharp contrast with the Italian situation, in countries like Belgium and the Netherlands between 65 and 70% of women declared to have utilized the Pill.