Marius Johansen is a postdoctoral fellow and medical doctor with experience from both the primary care (GP) and specialist healthcare services (gynaecology). He has a strong interest in sexual and reproductive health, particularly among adolescents and young adults. For ten years, he served as Senior Consultant at Sex og samfunn, Norway’s largest centre for sexual and reproductive health.
He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Community Medicine and Global Health, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo (UiO). He also works as a physician at Oslo Municipality’s youth health clinic in Nydalen.
Academic interests
- Hormonal contraception
- Endometriosis
- Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
- Gynaecology
- Menstrual and bleeding disorders
- Bacterial vaginosis (and other causes of vaginal discharge)
- Venereology and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- Statistics, health registers and epidemiological data
Postdoctoral project
The postdoctoral project is part of the interdisciplinary ContraMent (Hormonal Contraceptives and Mental Health) convergent initiative (2026–2030), funded by UiO:Life Science. The goal for Johansen’s Clinical Medicine work package is to explore women’s lived experiences of contraception, including contraceptive choices, side effects, mood changes, and adherence. The project will use a mixed-methods design, combining qualitative individual and group interviews with a large prospective quantitative follow-up study of young women initiating a new contraception method.
Most research on contraception and side effects has focused on adverse outcomes, such as thrombosis, stroke, depression, bleeding disturbances, weight changes, negative mood changes, skin problems, reduced libido, and sexual difficulties, including vaginal dryness or pain during intercourse. In contrast, prospective studies examining beneficial or positive effects on women’s lived experiences are limited. Such effects may include improved or more stable mood, emotional well-being, libido, sexuality, and quality of life.
Rather than focusing solely on what may go wrong, this project aims to provide a balanced, patient-centred perspective based on women’s lived experiences. It will investigate the factors that shape contraceptive expectations, knowledge, choices, adherence, and discontinuation among women in Norway, with the goal of improving clinical practice and policy.
The project will also explore women’s emotions, concerns, and informational needs related to contraception. In particular, it will examine whether emotional or interpersonal barriers, such as guilt, shame, stigma, or mistrust, may hinder open and effective contraceptive counselling, as well as what factors may promote positive, supportive counselling experiences.
Background
Johansen has a background in epidemiological research. In 2026, he defended his doctoral theses, Endometriosis: Birth and Beyond – Impacts on Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes, Maternal Mental Health, and Couple Relationships, at the University of Oslo. The work was conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Fertility and Health at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
He is a co-author of the contraception chapter in the Norwegian Society of Gynaecology’s (NGF) clinical guidelines. He is also the author and Norwegian representative to the contraception chapter of the Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynaecology's (NFOG), etextbook for medical students, and a member of the Gynaecology Expert Group of the Norwegian College of General Practice.
Johansen has extensive experience in teaching, supervision, and science communication. He regularly teaches courses in gynaecology, contraception, endometriosis, and sexually transmitted infections for physicians and other healthcare professionals, in addition to teaching medical students at UiO.
In 2026, he supervised political science master’s student Alexandra Halle in the Summer Life Science School project Mapping Norwegian Media Narratives on Hormonal Contraception. The project involved building a database of media content and analysing discourses, framings, and trends over time.
He initiated and established HFU-dagene, an annual national conference on young people and sexuality that is now Norway’s largest professional meeting in this field. Previous roles also include lead author and later editor of Metodebok for seksuell helse, Norway’s largest professional and practical handbook on contraception and sexual and reproductive health.