Friday, April 10, 2015

Domestic violence could harm contraception in women

Plos: Domestic violence affects the choice of birth control in women. According to a recent study, women victims of physical or sexual abuse have less recourse to contraception, which often leads to unwanted pregnancies and abortions, or infections. It's clearly shown that there is  not only a correlation between domestic violence and inadequate contraception, but a causal relationship. Affected women are more likely to use contraception than their male partners can not refuse. Contraceptive injection is often used to or sterilization in developing countries, while intrauterine devices are most often used in the West. Condom use is then less than expected. Thus, according to figures released by WHO, it is not surprising that women in Africa who are victims of domestic violence have a three times higher risk of HIV infection. In the future, it will be necessary for global initiatives to improve access to contraception to consider domestic violence, says study author, Lauren Maxwell. In all cases, women should be examined to detect signs of domestic violence, and men should not participate in consultations if this factor was removed earlier.