Past and present contraceptive behavior of new Soviet immigrant women in Israel

This exploratory research investigated past and current use of contraceptives among a purposive sample of 117 new immigrant women from the Commonwealth of Independent States (former Soviet Union). The findings confirm the widespread use of induced abortion (IA) as a method of birth control before immigration. Fifty-eight percent of the sample had had at least one IA, and the average was 2.7 IA. The most commonly used types of contraception before immigration were the pill, safe days, withdrawal, and the IUD. Currently used types of contraception were the IUD, safe days, withdrawal, and condoms; however only 45% of the sample were currently using any type of contraception. Of particular interest were the relatively high reported use of the pill before immigration and low current use, and the former low level of condom use and its increase in popularity in Israel. Despite the availability of more effective methods of birth control, safe days and withdrawal remain commonly used. The high cost of the pill was mentioned as a deterrent to its current use. Despite the high prior level of IA, the majority of women in this sample (84%) preferred today to use other birth control methods, and would like the opportunity to receive professional advice. These findings support the need for educational efforts directed toward new immigrant women from CIS.