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Toward a New Definition of Unmet Need for Contraception

Bibliographic Data

ID10797582
AuthorsSarah D Rominski, Sarah Rominski (corresponding author), Rob Stephenson (0000-0002-9239-2640)
Year2019
Volume50
Issue2
Pages195-198
Publication date2019-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudies in Family Planning (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0039-3665 • E-ISSN: 1728-4465
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sifp.12084
PMID30741426
OpenAlexW2913568246
LanguageEN
Citations received18
References cited8

The current definition of unmet need for contraception assumes that all women who are using a method have a met need. We argue that without taking into account the level of satisfaction with a method, many women are classified as having a met need, when in fact they have an unmet need. They are using a method that does not meet their preferences, either because it causes side effects they find untenable or has other characteristics they do not like. Given the large number of contraceptive episodes that end in discontinuation, reportedly often due to the experience of side effects, we argue that the current definition of unmet need undercounts the number of women with a true unmet need for contraception as it misses the many women who are using a method that does not meet their preferences. We suggest the addition of satisfaction questions in national surveys such as the Demographic and Health Surveys to more fully assess the level of true met need for contraception

Developed country · Discontinuation · Environmental health · Family medicine · Family planning · Population · Psychiatry · Research methodology · Global Maternal and Child Health · Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions · Medicine · Reproductive Health and Contraception

  • Contraceptive Alignment

    Open Access•Stephanie Arteaga, Ariana H Bennett et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2026

  • Unmet need and intention to use as predictors of adoption of contraception in 10 Performance Monitoring for Action geographies

    Open Access•Dana O Sarnak, Phil Anglewicz et al.•SSM - Population Health•2023

  • Measuring Informed Choice for Contraception in Burkina Faso

    Open Access•Brooke W Bullington, Katherine Tumlinson et al.•Social Indicators Research•2025

  • The State of Person‐Centered Measurement for Family Planning Need and Use

    Open Access•Ilene S Speizer, Elizabeth Sully et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2025

  • Contraceptive Use and Discontinuation Among Adolescent Women in 55 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

    Open Access•Clara E Busse, Katherine Tumlinson et al.•Demography•2025

  • Meeting Preferences for Specific Contraceptive Methods

    Open Access•Kristen Lagasse Burke, J E Potter•Studies in Family Planning•2023

  • Assessing the Suitability of Unmet Need as a Proxy for Access to Contraception and Desire to Use It

    Open Access•Leigh Senderowicz, Bruce Bullington et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2023

  • Walk the Talk

    Open Access•Jamaica Corker, Michelle Weinberger et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2025

  • Incorporating Method Dissatisfaction into Unmet Need for Contraception

    Open Access•C Rothschild, Joseph Brown et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2021

  • Assessing Trends in the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy

    Open Access•John B Casterline, Laila O El‐Zeini et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2024

  • Misconceptions, Misinformation, and Misperceptions

    Open Access•Rose Stevens, Kazuyo Machiyama et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2023

  • Measuring Unmet Need for Contraception Using a Person‐Centered Algorithm

    Open Access•Octavia Mulhern, Rubina Hussain et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2025

  • Intention to Use Contraception

    Open Access•Jamaica Corker, Ilene S Speizer et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2025

  • Is the Decision Not to Use Contraception an Indicator of Reproductive Agency

    Open Access•Madeleine Short Fabic, Lotus Mcdougal et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2023

  • Introduction to the Special Issue

    Open Access•Jeffrey B Bingenheimer, Karen Hardee et al.•Studies in Family Planning•2023

  • Fertility Desires and Contraceptive Transition

    Open Access•Sara Yeatman, Christie Sennott•Population and Development Review•2024

  • Supply-Side Versus Demand-Side Unmet Need

    Open Access•Leigh Senderowicz, Nicole Maloney et al.•Population and Development Review•2022

  • Revisiting Women's Empowerment and Contraception

    Open Access•Shireen J Jejeebhoy, Zeba A Sathar et al.•Population and Development Review•2024

  • Reasons for Contraceptive Nonuse among Women Having Unmet Need for Contraception in Developing Countries

    Open Access•Gilda Sedgh, Rubina Hussain•Studies in Family Planning•2014

  • Stalking the Elusive "Unmet Need" for Family Planning

    Ruth Dixon-Mueller, Ruth Dixon‐mueller et al.•Studies in Family Planning•1992

Unique citing works18
Citations per year3,6
Citation span2021 - 2026 (6)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 17
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