South Africa has one of the highest rates of pregnancy amongst adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) globally

Pregnancy prevention involves an on-going continuum of decision-making around contraceptive method choice, uptake, use, experience, continuation, and discontinuation.

This paper presents analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey with 2376 AGYW, as well as qualitative in-depth interviews (IDIs) with 54 AGYW

We examined preferences, valued characteristics, choices, beliefs, understandings and experiences of choosing and using contraceptives amongst AGYW in two South African communities characterised by high rates of pregnancy.

Survey findings showed that:

• The injection was considered the best method, followed by the implant and the pill.
• More than a third of AGYW expressed safety concerns around contraceptives, with only 45% believing the injection was safe, 37% believing the pill was safe, and only 30% believing the implant was safe

View the complete “I will find the best method that will work for me”: Navigating contraceptive journeys amongst South African adolescent girls and young women - Research Brief