청소년 여성의 피임제 사용 경험에 관한 연구

A Study about the Contraceptive Pill Use Experience of the Female Adolescent

Women using the contraceptive pill to avoid the unwanted pregnancy fall into two classes, the adult female and the female adolescent. The sociocultural and economic situation of the female adolescent should naturally be different from the adult female’s situation. Therefore, about the burdens, discomfort, inconvenience of purchasing and taking the contraceptive pill, the female adolescent can have different experiences from the adult female. Especially, the general contraceptive pill is classified as general pharmaceuticals for smooth supply, so anyone can purchase it at drugstore. But the emergency contraceptive pill is classified as special pharmaceuticals to prevent its misuse, so it can be purchased at drugstore only by persons who have the doctor’s prescription. Therefore, the female adolescent’s situation can make them more difficult to use the emergency contraceptive pill. However, the contraceptive pill can be used appropriately not only for the adult female but also for the female adolescent. For this, it must take precedence to confirm and comprehend the female adolescent’s situation related to purchasing and taking the contraceptive pill as well as to synthesize and analyze their different experiences in the process from purchasing to taking the contraceptive pill. So, to know their actual experiences related to purchasing and taking the contraceptive pill, and to look into their thought and opinion both about the policies to classify the contraceptive pill and about the ways for the public relations as the works to promote understanding of the appropriate use of the contraceptive pill, we interviewed 20 female adolescents who have taken the contraceptive pill. As a result, we could know that not only the current way and price to purchase the contraceptive pill, especially the emergency contraceptive pill was almost impossible or very onerous to the female adolescent but also the current medication counseling at hospital and drugstore was insufficient or seldom enacted. And we also could know that many of them hope for the improvement of the policies reflecting their actual experiences and considering their thought and opinion.