The cost of contraception and the impact of the recession has had a negative impact on women, a leading family planning agency has said.
"The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) has seen an increase in women using withdrawal as their only method of contraception, which is concerning," Niall Behan, chief executive officer of the IFPA told The Irish Times.
He said many women "cannot afford more effective contraceptive methods".
These women then present for emergency contraception when the method has failed, he added.
Of every 100 women who use the method, four will become pregnant each year if they always do it correctly. For the less skilled, 27 out of every 100 women who use it will become pregnant, according to figures from Planned Parenthood.
“On a daily basis in our medical clinics, we see how the high cost of contraception along with the continuing economic recession has adversely impacted women’s choices about their contraception,” said Mr Behan.
Condoms can cost up to €1 each here. Finding the money to buy them can be a problem, especially for young people, a new report by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) said.
Ireland is in sixth position out of 16 countries in the IPPF's Barometer of Women's Access to Contraceptive Choice. The study considers sexual and reproductive health in 16 European countries including Ireland, Germany, Spain, Poland and Sweden.
