Financial pressures are pushing women to reconsider their birth control options.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Much has been said about how the economic downturn has made people delay major life events like marriage (and divorce), family vacations, and that dream house with the white picket fence. Research has also found that the recession has lead women to put off having children. Yet, even as people cut costs and look for ways to save, a new survey finds that women are skimping on the one thing that could prevent another costly life event: their birth control. Conducted by The Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research organization devoted to reproductive-health issues, the survey found that women, particularly those who have been laid off, are finding that the cost of birth control is making them less inclined to use it.

THE DETAILS: Researchers surveyed 1,630 women between the ages of 18 and 34 who made less than $75,000 per year. Fifty-two percent of the women said that they were worse off, financially, than they were a year ago, and 75 percent said that they were more worried about money, whatever their current financial situation. While nearly 64 percent said they couldn't afford to have a baby because of the economy, only 29 percent of all women, and 39 percent of the women who reported being worse off financially, reported that they were being more careful about using contraception every time they had sex. Women making less than $25,000 per year were also more likely to skimp on all methods of birth control; 8 percent of them said the cost of birth control made them use it less frequently, and 18 percent reported using the birth control pill inconsistently (skipping pills, delaying refills, or getting fewer pill packs at once) for the same reason.