ACOG: Encourage consideration of contraceptive implants/IUDs

(HealthDay)—All women at risk of unwanted pregnancy should be counseled on all contraceptive options, including long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), according to a Committee Opinion published in the October issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Researchers from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) Committee on Gynecologic Practice addressed the persistence of unintended pregnancy as a major public health problem in the United States.

The authors note that obstetrician-gynecologists should provide counseling on all contraceptive options, including implants and intrauterine devices for all women at risk of unintended pregnancy. They should encourage consideration of contraceptive options for all appropriate candidates, including nulliparous women and adolescents. Best practices should be adopted for LARC methods. Obstetrician-gynecologists should also advocate for coverage and appropriate payment and reimbursement for all contraceptive methods, and should become familiar with and support programs that improve the affordability of contraceptives.

"ACOG has long recommended LARC as the most effective reversible contraceptive option for most women, including those who have not given birth and adolescents who are sexually active," David E. Soper, M.D., chair of the ACOG Committee on Gynecologic Practice, said in a statement. "We continually see more and more data to support and strengthen our recommendations at the same time that more LARC options are becoming available."