Seventy-two women, aged between 18 and 50 years, participated in focus groups to talk about their experiences with using contraception. There were both continuities and differences between women in each of the age groups. Younger women appeared to be more accepting of medical opinion, while many older women rejected medical interference in contraceptive decisions. Patterns of use were similar with the pill having been the contraceptive of first choice for the majority of women. The most persistent feature through the groups was a strong sense of dissatisfaction with contraception, in terms of both side effects and range of available methods.