Internal or Infernal Devices: Experiences of Contraception Among Australian Women Living With Hepatitis C

Abstract

In this article we seek to delineate the experiences of contraceptive use by Australian women living with hepatitis C. Using semi-structured, in-depth interviews, 109 women with hepatitis C from two cities in Australia, Melbourne (Victoria) and Canberra (the Australian Capital Territory), were interviewed about their alcohol and other drug use, their contraceptive history, and their experiences of hepatitis C. We aimed to understand why such a high proportion of women living with hepatitis C (66%) had previously reported that they were not currently using contraception. Many women had used contraception at some stage of their lives but were no longer using it because they had experienced contraceptive failure or uncomfortable side effects. Others were concerned about the impact of contraception on their fertility, were planning to get pregnant or considered themselves to be celibate. Hepatitis C appeared to have little impact on their contraceptive practices, but some women's illicit drug use had an important influence. Illicit drug use was, for some, an encouragement to seek long-term forms of contraception that reduced their chances of pregnancy while for others drug taking hampered their contraceptive use. In compliance with health promotion campaigns of the last two decades, women were generally more concerned about preventing sexually transmissible infections than pregnancies, particularly with new or casual partners.