BMC women's health
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The European CHOICE study was a cross-sectional survey that evaluated women's combined hormonal contraceptive choices before and after contraceptive counseling in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Russia, and Ukraine. The changes in method selection before and after counseling were reported previously. In this paper we present the reasons given by the 18,787 participating women for selecting their contraceptive method of choice, as well as their perceptions about the contraceptive pill, patch, and ring after counseling. ⋯ To support informed contraceptive decision-making, healthcare professionals should realize that a woman's view of a method's ease of use is more important than perceived efficacy, tolerability, health benefits, or risks.