Contraceptive access and use of long-acting reversible contraceptives during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
Background: Changes in access to healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted individuals’ access to contraceptive care, including long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), which require ⩾1 visit for insertion and/or removal. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the ut...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Women's Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057251351740 |
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| Summary: | Background: Changes in access to healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted individuals’ access to contraceptive care, including long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), which require ⩾1 visit for insertion and/or removal. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the utilization and accessibility of contraceptive services and contraceptive methods, including LARCs, during the COVID-19 pandemic and understand individuals’ preferred approaches for accessing contraceptive care and prescriptions in the future. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Quantitative data were collected from US individuals assigned females at birth at risk for pregnancy and seeking contraceptive methods for pregnancy prevention (aged 18–49 years) via an online survey fielded in 2022. Measures included: contraceptive methods used pre-pandemic, during the pandemic, current, and planned for the future; the impact of the pandemic on LARC insertions/removals; site of care for contraceptive counseling, prescribing, and filling across time periods. Results: Analyses included 1878 respondents; mean age = 30.8 years, 86.2% cisgender female; 64.5% non-Hispanic White. The most common forms of contraception used by respondents pre-pandemic, during, and currently were the pill (31.0% (95% confidence interval (CI): 29.0%–33.2%), 31.3% (29.2%–33.4%), 28.3% (26.3%–30.4%)), male condom (10.9% (9.5%–12.3%), 12.8% (11.4%–14.4%), 13.7% (12.2%–15.3%)), intrauterine device (IUD) (8.5% (7.3%–9.8%), 9.6% (8.3%–11.0%), 10.2% (8.9%–11.6%)), implant (4.9% (4.0%–5.9%), 4.2% (3.4%–5.2%), 4.6% (3.8%–5.7%)), shot (4.8% (3.9%–5.9%), 4.3% (3.5%–5.3%), 4.0% (3.2%–5.0%)), and withdrawal (3.9% (3.1%–4.9%), 4.2% (3.4%–5.2%), 6.0% (5.0%–7.1%)), respectively. The use of these methods was consistent across time periods. Of respondents who wanted a LARC inserted ( n = 446) or removed ( n = 104) during the pandemic, 38.3% and 37.5%, respectively, reported their insertion/removal was impacted by the pandemic (e.g., delayed, went to a different office, used a different healthcare provider). The proportion of respondents who planned to use in-person-only services for contraceptive care and remote-only services for filling prescriptions in the future was higher than before and during the pandemic. Conclusion: Despite the consistency in the contraceptive methods used across time periods, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the way in which individuals received contraceptive services, particularly those seeking LARC services, which require in-person visits for insertion and removal. As we move out of the pandemic, special care should be paid to ensuring prompt access to individuals’ preferred choice of contraceptive services. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-5065 |