Abstracts of Society Sessions

Contraception In all countries, the condom is the\udmost widely utilized method, followed by hormonal\udcontraception and coitus interruptus. In Italy, however,\udhormonal contraception occupies a good third\udplace. Although, overall, the majority of Italian men\udand women declared that they would like to avail\udthemselves of the protection offered by modern\udcontraception, the reality is sometimes different.\udAlmost 50% of those interviewed did not use any\udprotection at first intercourse. This may be due to the\udgreat popularity of spontaneous sex in Italy: more than\ud60% have declared that their first sexual encounter wasspontaneous and 90% believe spontaneous sex is the\udbest. Of those utilizing a method, approximately 70%\uddeclared that the condom was the method of choice;\udonly 13% the young women utilized a hormonal pill,\udwith a somewhat higher percentage having availed\udthemselves of withdrawal by the man. This lack of\udprotection at first intercourse is observed almost\udubiquitously in Europe; however, in sharp contrast\udwith the Italian situation, in countries like Belgium\udand the Netherlands between 65 and 70% of women\uddeclared to have utilized the Pill. An apparent\udincongruence observed in Italy is the low utilization\udof hormonal contraceptives, while at the same time a\udmajority of those interviewed declared that taking the\udpill will make sex more spontaneous and 2/3 stated\udthat the pill is the most convenient method of\udcontraception