Vasectomy: why not talk about it with women? A qualitative survey of women aged 35 to 55

Backround, Vasectomy, a permanent male contraceptive method, has been legal in France since 2001. In 2019, it was the contraceptive method used by 0.5% of women aged 15 to 49, which is low compared with other countries (Australia, England, Belgium). Studies already carried out on the subject have mainly involved healthcare professionals and men, and very few have sought the opinions of women, who are the main people to talk to about contraception. Objectives. The main objective was to understand their representations of vasectomy. The secondary objective was to find out whether there were any obstacles to the development of this contraceptive method for women. Methods. Qualitative study on a purposive sample of women aged 35 to 55 recruited from general practices in the Gard region of France. A phenomenological approach with a sennio-pragmatic analysis was used. Results. Thirteen interviews were analyzed until data saturation was reached, revealing five conceptualizing categories. The women in this study expressed the need to be relieved by their partner of the mental burden of contraception, as part ofa shared couple decision. Vasectomy appears to be a suitable solution if they no longer wish to have children, but it is little or not at all known to patients, and caregivers say little about it. Conclusion. This study has shown that women, who are the main contacts for contraceptive consultation, are not very familiar with vasectomy. They play a vital role in the process of involving men in contraception. These results provide some pointers on how we can better support women, men and couples in their contraceptive choices.