Associations between recent contraceptive use and quality of life among women

Background: Whether contraception affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is unclear. Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of routine intake data collected from women aged 18-50 years, including the RAND-36 (Research and Development Corporation) measure of HRQoL, pregnancy intentions and recent contraceptive use. We used multivariable logistic regression to test the relationship between HRQoL and use of any and specific contraceptives. Physical and mental HRQoLs were dichotomized based on US population averages. Models were adjusted for age, race, marital status, education and pregnancy intentions. Results: Among the 726 women, those using any form of contraception were more likely to have average or better mental HRQoL than women using no contraception [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-2.53]. Women using injectable contraception were less likely than those using combined hormonal methods to have average or better physical HRQoL (aOR=0.26, 95% CI 0.09-0.80) and mental HRQoL (aOR=0.24, 95% CI 0.06-0.86). Conclusions: Measures of women's HRQoL differ with contraceptive use.