The contraceptive needs of teenage women are inadequately met within general practice, a new survey shows.
Dr Ailis Ni Riain, Director of Women's Health at the Irish College of General Practitioners, presented the results of the survey, Women's Health Care Services in General Practice, at the college's a.g.m.
She told delegates that 3,138 women under 20 gave birth in Ireland in 1998. At least 700 in the same age group had abortions in the UK.
However, there are no Irish data on the age of first intercourse or the proportion of young people who fail to use contraception at first intercourse.
Two-thirds of Dutch adolescents have used the contraceptive pill at most recent intercourse, resulting in an adolescent birth rate of 6.9 per 1,000 in Holland. In contrast, the Irish adolescent birth rate is 18.6, reflecting lower contraceptive use.
The most recent Irish study of sexual activity shows 22 per cent of females and 32 per cent of males have had sexual intercourse by the age of 16.
"General practitioners are aware of teenage sexual activity through the number of requests from young women for contraception and emergency contraception," Dr Ni Riain said in her presentation.
However, only 54 per cent of GPs surveyed were satisfied with training in the area of women's health and family planning. There are a high number of inter-referrals to GP colleagues who specialise in women's health, with 75 per cent of GPs in favour of the establishment of a national register of GPs with special skills in family planning.
A quarter of Irish general practices have no female GP or nurse to facilitate women's healthcare needs, according to the survey. Family doctors would like to see the introduction of two levels of family planning services in general practice, with procedures such as vasectomies and the fitting of intra-uterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs) and diaphragms included in the higher service level.
Dr Ni Riain told The Irish Times the college was examining the provision of improved training for practising GPs through more tailored continuing education courses. "The training will have a comprehensive menu including knowledge, skills and the medico-legal implications of women's health issues," she said.