Quality of Life Among Japanese Oral Contraceptive Users

Abstract:

It is difficult to judge the well-being in sexual and reproductive health as it is very subjective matter. QOL is a possible indicator to measure sexual and reproductive health. Oral contraceptives (OC) can contribute greatly to a woman’s well being by providing a choice of family planning and also as a tool to improve menstruation and hormonal-dependent symptoms such as dysmenorrhea, irregular menstrual cycles, menorrhagia, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and acne. WHO has developed an assessment instrument for QOL, which has proven systematically relevance in cross-cultural research. WHOQOL-Bref is comprised of 5 domains; physical health, psychological, social relationships, environment, and overall. We performed a questionnaire study to measure QOL among Japanese OC users. QOL measurement using WHOQOL-Bref showed the effectiveness of OC in providing side benefits, however, OC can worsen the QOL of users if it is taken only for contraceptive purpose. Studies have proven that women are more satisfied with permanent contraceptive methods such as vasectomy and tubal ligation than nonpermanent methods such as intrauterine device, injection, and OC. However, compliance has improved among OC users after counseling. Information, education, and counseling before staring OC will improve the practice of family planning and promote QOL among OC users.

Appendix

WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF)

1.1 WHOQOL-BREF

The following questions ask how you feel about your quality of life, health, or other areas of your life. I will read out each question to you, along with the response options. Please choose the answer that appears most appropriate. If you are unsure about which response to give to a question, the first response you think of is often the best one.

Please keep in mind your standards, hopes, pleasures, and concerns. We ask that you think about your life in the last four weeks.

Table 114-1 WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF)

0	0	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very satisfied
2.	How satisfied are you with your health?	1	2	3	4	5

The following questions ask about how much you have experienced certain things in the last four weeks.

0	0	Not at all	A little	A moderate amount	Very much	An extreme amount
3.	To what extent do you feel that physical pain prevents you from doing what you need to do?	5	4	3	2	1
4.	How much do you need any medical treatment to function in your daily life?	5	4	3	2	1
5.	How much do you enjoy life?	1	2	3	4	5
6.	To what extent do you feel your life to be meaningful?	1	2	3	4	5

0	0	Not at all	A little	A moderate amount	Very much	Extremely
7.	How well are you able to concentrate?	1	2	3	4	5
8.	How safe do you feel in your daily life?	1	2	3	4	5
9.	How healthy is your physical environment?	1	2	3	4	5

The following question refers to how often you have felt or experienced certain things in the last four weeks.

0	0	Not at all	A little	Moderately	Mostly	Completely
10.	Do you have enough energy for everyday life?	1	2	3	4	5
11.	Are you able to accept your bodily appearance?	1	2	3	4	5
12.	Have you enough money to meet your needs?	1	2	3	4	5
13.	How available to you is the information that you need in your day-to-day life?	1	2	3	4	5
14.	To what extent do you have the opportunity for leisure activities?	1	2	3	4	5

0	0	Very poor	Poor	Neither poor nor good	Good	Very good
15.	How well are you able to get around?	1	2	3	4	5

0	0	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very satisfied
16.	How satisfied are you with your sleep?	1	2	3	4	5
17.	How satisfied are you with your ability to perform your daily living activities?	1	2	3	4	5
18.	How satisfied are you with your capacity for work?	1	2	3	4	5
19.	How satisfied are you with yourself?	1	2	3	4	5
20.	How satisfied are you with your personal relationships?	1	2	3	4	5
21.	How satisfied are you with your sex life?	1	2	3	4	5
22.	How satisfied are you with the support you get from your friends?	1	2	3	4	5
23.	How satisfied are you with the conditions of your living place?	1	2	3	4	5
24.	How satisfied are you with your access to health services?	1	2	3	4	5
25.	How satisfied are you with your transport?	1	2	3	4	5

The following questions ask about how completely you experience or were able to do certain things in the last four weeks.

0	0	Never	Seldom	Quite often	Very often	Always
26.	How often do you have negative feelings such as blue mood, despair, anxiety, depression?	5	4	3	2	1

1.2 Do you have any comments about the assessment?

1.2.1 [The following table should be completed after the interview is finished]

		Equations for computing domain scores	Raw score	Transformed scoresa
				4–20	0–100
27.	Domain 1	(6-Q3) + (6-Q4) + Q10 + Q15 + Q16 + Q17 + Q18	a. =	b:	c:
0	0	□ + □ + □ + □ + □ + □ + □	0	0	0
28.	Domain 2	Q5 + Q6 + Q7 + Q11 + Q19 + (6-Q26)	a. =	b:	c:
0	0	□ + □ + □ + □ + □ + □	0	0	0
29.	Domain 3	Q20 + Q21 + Q22	a. =	b:	c:
0	0	□ + □ + □	0	0	0
30.	Domain 4	Q8 + Q9 + Q12 + Q13 + Q14 + Q23 + Q24 + Q25	a. =	b:	c:
0	0	□ + □ + □ + □ + □ + □ + □ + □	0	0	0

^aSee Procedures Manual, pages 13–15