Table 3

Additional participant quotes for each theme

Theme	Additional quotes
Same pandemic, different impacts	Ease of accessing methods that do not require an appointment “…they said we’re sending [condoms] to your door. It’s very convenient. They can keep sending this instead of people having to go themselves and use it. It’s very useful and it’s working and that is why they’re doing it and I’m very happy with that.” [P17]
	Delays around contraceptive injections “…it was very difficult to get in-person doctor’s appointments…so I ended up being about a month late on my injection…it was a bit of a stressful period because at the time me and my partner we were living together.” [P30]
	Extra support needed when accessing contraceptive services for the first time “…it was my first time…so for me it was something very important. But let’s imagine for them, probably something that a lot of women ask for…it’s quite…a routine thing they do…’cause I mean it was low priority…but for me that I wasn’t really knowledgeable about talking… I wanted to speak to somebody…” [P4]
Barriers to accessing contraception	Challenges of making an appointment “…its been so difficult to get hold of a doctor…the GP is like an illusion…” [P22] “…I had quite a few issues just getting hold of a doctor, just getting a contraceptive full stop.” [P31]
	Complex processes that are tricky to navigate “…it was a…stressful situation…If I could, I would go through…a process which was…smoother…because I went from GP to…the nurse…there was so many…steps towards it.” [P16]
	Access to preferred contraceptive method was not treated as a priority “I was made to feel it was unessential…I remember a couple of times when I was on the pill…it hadn’t arrived because the doctor hadn’t done my prescription…I had to ring up…and say…this is something urgent that I need because obviously I could get pregnant and they were saying well for now you could just use alternative methods of contraception…“ [P20]
	Diminished quality of appointments “It was a rushed appointment…there is so much you can’t explain and get into details about symptoms, side effects…“ [P9]
Mixed attitudes towards remote services	Telephone appointments are problematic for those in school “At the time when I started [taking contraception] I was in school so I was leaving lessons to call my doctor to talk about this. I’m just like in the middle of a school corridor…“ [P15]
	Online services are quick and easy, especially for younger women “…it's actually been quite easy…my GP switched everything to EConsult and…as a fairly young person I think an online chat suits me…“ [P28]
	Anonymity works well but online services can be impersonal “…even though the online services are anonymous and fast, there’s not a lot of…advice catered towards you in that situation…“ [P3]
	Remote methods cannot replicate the subtleties of face-to-face appointments “I just wanna have that interaction of me being able to ask questions…raise doubts…“ [P4] “…if you’re on contraception that isn’t working, or you’re struggling with it, I don’t think you can really grasp…the affect that they can have over the phone…“ [P24] “…they will pick up cues from you if you felt uncertain…or that you wanted to say more…“ [P25]
Short-lived versus lasting effects of the pandemic	Noticing a return to ‘normality’ “Since…we’ve…hit the normality period it’s been really easy and really simple. Obviously now it’s easier to get to a GP, it’s easier to get appointments, but yeah now it’s kind of gone back to how it usually was before.“ [P30]
Short-lived versus lasting effects of the pandemic	Lasting changes “I’d never gone back to the Sexual Health Clinic, I’d never gone back to that clinic for this reason, I’ve always stayed with my doctor now…I’m sure it’s open again now but I just don’t access that service any more.“ [P31]

GP, general practitioner; P, participant.