Sexual behaviour and contraceptive practice at Oxford and Aberdeen universities

Summary

At the end of the fourth week of the Spring term 1982, 730 female undergraduates at Aberdeen University and 744 female under-graduates at Oxford University were sent a questionnaire enquiring about their sexual behaviour and contraceptive practice. Of the 978 unmarried women who replied, 507 (52%) had experienced sexual intercourse. No contraception had been used by 31% of the women on the first occasion that they had had intercourse; during the 4-week period preceding receipt of the questionnaire 14% of sexually active women had had intercourse on one or more occasions without a contraceptive. Twenty-nine women had been pregnant in the past; two women were known to be pregnant at the time of the survey and twelve women thought that they might be. These findings are discussed and some recommendations are put forward.