And age affects contraceptive method of choice, too.
Condoms are now just as popular with women as the Pill, figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show.
Three out of four women under 50 use contraception. And of those who do, a quarter opt for a condom, with a similar amount of women choosing the Pill.
It seems age affects contraceptive choices, too – younger women prefer to pop the Pill or use a condom, older women rely on their partner’s vasectomy, long-acting hormonal contraception or sterilisation.
Preventing pregnancy was given as the main reason for using condoms by around 90% of both men and women, and 45% used them to stop infection.
The stats come from the ONS 2008-09 contraception and sexual health survey, where a total of 1,464 men and 1,093 women took part.
