and others from friends or the television. For example, Diane summarized the common 

understanding of the methods as follows: 

Yes, I know that the men use condoms to protect them from impregnating girls. I also 

know of Secure, which is used by girls who don't want to get pregnant. I also know that 

injectables are used by mothers who have had children before and don't want anymore 

children. [Diane] 

Although most of the participants knew about several contraceptive methods, few of 

them used a method regularly, and none reported using contraception before their first 

pregnancy. When the participants used modern methods, the descriptions of how they used them 

suggested that they had not used them correctly, which led to further pregnancies. Of those who 

used modern methods, 14 tried condoms, 7 tried pills, and 3 tried DMPA, an injectable hormone 

administered once every three months. The girls' experiences with the methods, including side 

effects and thoughts about the consequences of using them, are discussed below. 

4.6.1  Condoms and Withdrawal 

Condoms were the most often tried and used method of contraception. About half of the 

participants said that they had tried a condom at least once. Condoms, however, were usually 

spoken of as a method used by the man rather than the woman. Five of the participants said that 

their boyfriends used condoms with them regularly. 

My boyfriend uses the condoms any time we have sex. . . I think it is okay. I feel 

comfortable with it. [Diana] 

Another nine participants said that they had tried condoms and, for one reason or another, 

did not use them regularly. For example, Ariel and one other girl said that she used them during 

the fertile period, which she understood as falling immediately before, during, and just after 

menstruation: 

When it was getting to my period, or just after my period, I would use condoms. I would 

feel what my friend told me [about the fertile period] was true, so I would ask my 

boyfriend to use them. But I still got pregnant a second time. [Ariel] 

The most common reason for not using condoms regularly, however, was that the 

participants did not like them. For example, Phoebe said, 

It was my boyfriend who used condoms. He said if we used them I would not get 

pregnant, but then I did not enjoy it when he used condoms, so I asked him to stop using 

them. [Phoebe]  

There were several rumors about condoms that the girls reported, the most common being 

that they can come off and get stuck inside the woman's body. One participant described how 

this happened to her friend. 

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