One in 10 Italian women believe kissing can get you pregnant

(ANSA) - Lisbon, May 28 - 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.