One third of Italian women aged
20-30 believe you can't get pregnant the first time you have
sex, one in 10 believes you can get pregnant by kissing, and 7%
believe Coca-Cola can act as a spermicide, according to data
presented Wednesday at the 13th European Society of
Contraception and Reproductive Health (ESC) congress in the
Portuguese capital.
The survey of 9,000 women in 17 countries, of whom 500 were
in Italy, was conducted by GFK Healthcare industry researchers
for the ESC, which is made up of doctors and nurses.
In more alarming data from the Bel Paese, 31% of female
respondents believe coitus interruptus is an effective method of
birth control and one in five respondents said she has never
discussed contraception with her doctor.
This, said Italian Obstetrics and Gynecology Society
President Paolo Scollo, is why too many Italian teenagers resort
to abortion.
"They lack information, and this is why we are going to
present the health minister with a comprehensive sex and birth
control education project, beginning in middle school. This has
to become a stable part of the curriculum," said Scollo.
Congress participants also learned about the world's
smallest intrauterine device (IUD), which was rolled out in
Italy on Tuesday. It lasts three years and delivers very low
doses of birth-prevention hormones.
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