75% of women dissatisfied with birth control
The survey of just over 1,000 women also found most relied on opinions of close friends when making contraceptive choices and 75% were not satisfied with methods available.
Celebrity psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, who launched the survey in Dublin yesterday, said most women opted for the contraceptive pill or the barrier method without first investigating the variety of options now available.
The British psychologist, who participated in Channel 4's Big Brother programme and has a column published every month in Cosmopolitan, said the contraceptive pill was still the first choice but, for a significant number of women, it was not the best.
"Remembering to take them every day is a big issue for women, whether they are juggling a career or looking after three young children," said Dr Papadopoulos.
The side-effects associated with hormonal-based oral contraception were a big turn-off for a lot of women, Dr Papadopoulos said. Some women complained barrier methods reduced sensitivity in love making.
"Unless women make a conscious effort to examine what's available, their options will remain restricted because the various birth control methods are not widely promoted," she said.
The study, conducted by Janssen-Cilag, makers of Evra, the first contraceptive patch, found 80% of Irish women feel there is a lot of room for improvement in birth control methods.
The internet allows women to investigate the various contraceptive choices available but most still prefer to ask their friends.
"That tends to be one of the main ways of getting information. That's why we are getting these results they are not using the internet or asking their GPs."
Dr Papadopoulos said the survey also raised concerns as to how informed women were about the type of contraception they were using.
"This has huge implications for unwanted pregnancies, especially during the summer months when lovers' temperatures begin to soar," she warned.
