Sexual Pleasure and Contraception: A Scoping Review and Qualitative Research Study of Current Practices and Perspectives

Sexual pleasure is recognized as a critical aspect of sexual health and a fundamental sexual right by the World Association for Sexual Health. Despite efforts to incorporate sexual pleasure into sexuality education and healthcare, its inclusion remains insufficient. Although research on sexual pleasure has expanded, its subjective nature leads to diverse conceptualizations and methodological approaches, making findings less generalizable and hindering integration into services. This lack of consensus within research, combined with societal stigmatization, absence of guidelines, and inadequate educator and practitioner training, perpetuates the exclusion of sexual pleasure from services. A common topic within sexual pleasure is contraception, as many methods can influence users’ sexual experiences. When selecting a contraceptive method, individuals often consider how it may affect their or their partner’s sexual pleasure, leading to method initiation, changes, or cessation. However, this is often internalized due to stigmatization and lack of practitioner preparedness, resulting in gaps in care and unmet needs; contraceptive choices may not align to one’s needs or desires, leading to non-utilization or discontinuation. The relationship between sexual pleasure and contraception remains understudied, limiting the development of comprehensive guidelines in education and healthcare. This scoping review and qualitative interview study focuses on healthcare, exploring the current state of research on sexual pleasure and contraception and identifying barriers to integrating sexual pleasure into services. The review will analyze contrasting conceptualizations of sexual pleasure, the incorporation of different methodologies and frameworks, sociocultural considerations, and prevailing research barriers. Expert interviews with contraceptive researchers and clinicians will further highlight systemic challenges and provide recommendations for future implementation. Addressing these gaps is essential for advancing sexual and reproductive health services, as pleasure-based approaches are increasingly recognized as integral to sexual health and wellbeing. Ultimately, findings will promote a more comprehensive, realistic, and personalized approach to sexual and reproductive health care.