Objective. To discover what terminology women prefer to use when referring to contraceptive methods and to investigate the understanding of and ideas associated with contraceptive names. Design. A self-administered questionnaire was answered by 191 new patients at family planning clinics (FPCs). Women were asked if they understood the terms used by the fpa (Family Planning Association), if they knew of any alternatives and, if so, which they preferred. Setting. Selected FPCs across the city of

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... anchester. Results. Patients preferred to use familiar terms, e.g. pill, mini-pill, coil and morning-after pill. There was no difference in preference when the results were compared by age or educational level. A greater proportion of non-Caucasians than Caucasians preferred the precise (fpa) terms. Although precise terms were not widely known or understood, when used they were associated with more information than were the familiar terms. Conclusion. All FPC staff should evaluate the language used by individual patients and, where appropriate, introduce precise terminology to help patients to make informed, appropriate choices. Key message points l Colloquial names for contraceptive methods were associated with more misunderstanding and negative images than were the terms used in the family planning leaflets. l This difference was independent of the patients' level of education. l Many respondents did not know the meaning of the 'correct terminology'. l We recommend that precise terms should be introduced during a consultation for contraception, with clarification of their meaning.