Creating a supportive, safe, and welcoming clinic environment can help reduce the barriers transgender and gender diverse individuals face when accessing reproductive health care. It is vital to understand the contraceptive needs, fertility, and reproductive goals of each individual when providing contraceptive counseling. Gender-affirming testosterone therapy alone does not prevent pregnancy. We do not know…
Providers may wonder whether or not uterine abnormalities, like fibroids, cervical stenosis, or congenital anomalies would preclude IUD use. For questions like this, the US Medical Eligibility Criteria (US MEC), published by the CDC, is a good resource to turn to. Uterine Fibroids: Category 2-A condition for which the advantages of using the method generally…
Dysmenorrhea causes distress and missed days of school/work for millions of people. What’s the best way to treat it? All hormonal contraceptives can help. The pill, patch, ring, implant, injection, and progestin IUD have evidence for benefit. Continuous use of the pill/patch/ring may provide extra help. The copper IUD, on the other hand, may worsen…
RHAP has embarked on an update of our contraceptive materials. We aim to ensure our materials reflect the latest, best clinical evidence and align our with our core values, in particular patient-centered care. We started with our most general and widely used contraceptive fact sheet, which includes all birth control methods. The old versions organized methods by their…
In 2018, the FDA approved a one-year contraceptive vaginal ring. It’s a flexible silicone ring that slowly releases segesterone acetate and ethinyl estradiol. The brand name is Annovera. The label instructs patients to insert the ring for three weeks and remove it for one week, repeating the cycle a total of thirteen times before starting…
Coercive contraceptive practices have a long history in the United States, beginning in the era of slavery and extending to forced sterilizations as recent as 2010. Forced contraception has targeted primarily low-income, incarcerated, disabled, Indigenous, Black, and Latinx people. Knowing this horrific history, how can we adjust our contraceptive counseling to avoid any semblance bias…
What’s a simple way to improve adherence to prescription contraceptives? Easy: prescribe a one-year supply. One-year prescriptions also decrease trips to the pharmacy and the health center, thereby promoting social distancing in the time of COVID-19. Dispensing a year’s worth of contraceptives is even better than prescribing a year’s worth. In the states that allow…
An intrauterine device (IUD) can be inserted immediately postpartum, minutes after delivery of the placenta. Post-placental IUD insertion is simple and safe, with a low rate of complications. This video demonstrates the procedure. Pregnant patients who choose an IUD can get one without experiencing the risk of an extra office visit during the COVID-19 epidemic. The risk…
Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) can be prescribed as a subcutaneous injection that patients give themselves at home. The self-administered version helps patients avoid the need for office visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This method, also known as Depo SubQ, contains the same hormone, works in the same way, and has the same medical eligibility criteria…
