Contraception and Amenorrhea: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study on Acceptability in Filipino/Filipino-American Women.
Roseanne De Guzman, Irene Masini, Thiel de Bocanegra H and 1 others
PMID 41679767WHAT IT FOUND
Most Filipino and Filipino-American women in this survey disliked monthly periods, but 56% would not consider contraception that stops them.
Many believed stopping periods was harmful. Philippine-born women who immigrated as young adults or older were more likely to avoid it.
Key findings
0156% of analysed participants would not consider using a contraceptive that induced amenorrhea, even if menses and fertility returned after stopping it.
0270% believed contraceptive-induced amenorrhea was harmful, and participants who believed it was harmful were less likely to consider it.
03Philippine-born participants who immigrated to the United States as young adults or older were less likely to prefer contraceptive-induced amenorrhea.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysed sample was small and convenience-based: 95 surveys were analysed from 115 administered, with 19 largely incomplete responses and 1 currently pregnant response excluded. Most participants were young and college-educated, with 70% aged 18 to 25 and 84% reporting some college or more, so views may not represent Filipino-American women with less education, older women, or those outside Southern California. Recruitment focused on Filipino enclaves in Norwalk, Cerritos, and Irvine and on university cultural organizations, which may have selected for people with student, community, or health-service access. Seven partially completed surveys were retained only for completed sections, so some analyses had different denominators than the full sample. Only 11 surveys were in Filipino, limiting confidence about language and cultural measurement in that subgroup. The study measured self-reported attitudes and associations at one time point, so it cannot show that beliefs cause contraceptive choices or that amenorrhea-inducing contraception causes health outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at the University of California, Irvine.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that amenorrhea from contraception is unsafe or that religion explains reluctance. The 70% figure reports participants' beliefs, not measured health effects. The study found no statistically significant association between education or religion and preference for, or perceived harm from, amenorrhea-inducing contraception.