Aussies vague about contraception: study

SEX never goes out of fashion but Australians, it seems, are less engaged when it comes to contraception or the tricky topic of related infections.

Half of those who say condoms were their primary form of contraception admit to not using them every time they had sex, according to a new study.

While for women who rely on oral contraceptives, a forgetful 12 per cent say they accidentally miss a pill at least once a month.

RMIT University doctoral student Alicia Mitic said these and other preliminary results of an online survey pointed to a "hit and miss" approach to safe sex by Australians, along with a "vague" understanding of contraception.

"Few respondents understood the 'nitty gritty' details of the contraceptives they used, such as failure rates and potential side-effects," Ms Mitic says.

"A big concern is that even though most people were using some form of contraception - primarily condoms or the pill - few were using them correctly, increasing their risk of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI).

"They also had very little knowledge of the wide range of contraceptives available - many had never even heard of some of the options that were listed in the survey such as injections, implants, IUDs (intra uterine device) or natural family planning methods."

The online survey - found at www.rmit.edu.au/psychology/contraceptive-experiences-project - has received responses from almost 600 people so far.

The anonymous questionnaire is designed to probe the contraceptive practices, knowledge, attitudes and decision-making of Australians aged over 18, and it will remain open until February.

Further early findings include 40 per cent of respondents had never undergone a test for STIs while 14 per cent had been previously diagnosed with an STI - usually genital warts, herpes or chlamydia.

Three per cent admitted to lying to a partner about their STI status while 17 per cent were "unsure" of their partner's STI status.

More than a third of respondents said they had experienced negative side-effects related to contraceptives.