Use of services for family planning and infertility: United States.

The statistics presented in this report on the use of family planning and infertility services in the United States are based on interviews with a national sample of 6428 currently married women 15-44 years of age, which were conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. The statistics are presented in text tables, figures, and detailed tables. 2 measures of the use of family planning services are included in this report: ever use refers to ever having had a discussion with a health care provider regarding family planning methods to delay or prevent a pregnancy; and recent use refers to those discussions in the 3 years before interview. Most nonsterile married women had talked with a physician or other professional about family planning in the 3 years before their interview in 1976 (58.6%). Recent family planning visits were more common among white (59.9%) than among black (46.9%) or Hispanic women (51.8%). Younger women (15-29 years of age) were more likely than older women (30-44 years of age) to have made a recent family planning visit (70.8% and 44.5%, respectively). This difference by age existed independently of race or ethnicity. Among women with a family planning visit in the 3 years before the interview in 1976, most made their latest visit to their personal physician. Only 15.9% made their latest visit to a family planning clinic or other organized medical services. Recent visitors who were black or Hispanic women, were more likely than white recent visitors to have made their latest visit to an organized medical service. Young visitors were more likely to have gone to an organized medical services (18.3%) than older women (11.5%). During their most recent family planning visit, it was recommended to many women that they begin using a method of contraception or that they change from 1 method to another. The method most often recommended by both personal doctors and organized medical services was the oral contraceptive. About 6.9% of nonsterile married women used infertility services in the 3 years before their interview in 1976.