Effectiveness of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception
From the New England Journal of Medicine: A large (7486 paticipants) prospective cohort study, by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, to evaluate contraceptive methods has found dramatic differences in their effectiveness. Women who used pills, the patch or vaginal ring were 20 times more likely to have an unintended pregnancy than those who used longer-acting forms such as an intrauterine device (IUD) or implant.
And from the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Rapid repeat pregnancy in adolescents: do immediate postpartum contraceptive implants make a difference?
The purpose of this study in Colorado was to determine contraceptive continuation and repeat pregnancy rates in adolescents who are offered immediate postpartum etonogestrel implant insertion and showed excellent continuation 1 year after delivery; rapid repeat pregnancy was significantly decreased compared with control participants.
Predictors of long-acting reversible contraception use among unmarried young adults
The objective of the study from South Carolina was to improve the understanding of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) use patterns among unmarried, young adults at risk of unintended pregnancy. LARC use was associated with older age, high IUD knowledge, and earlier onset of sexual activity and concluded that increasing knowledge of IUD among certain groups may improve LARC use among young, unmarried adults and in turn decrease unintended pregnancy.
Knowledge of contraceptive effectiveness
Another study from St Louis, Missouri looking at 4144 women’s knowledge of contraceptive effectiveness and, not surprisingly, showed many gaps.
Unintended pregnancy and contraception among active-duty servicewomen and veterans
The number of women of childbearing age who are active-duty service members or veterans of the US military is increasing. These women may seek reproductive health care at medical facilities operated by the military, in the civilian sector, or through the Department of Veterans Affairs. This article reviews the current data on unintended pregnancy and prevalence of and barriers to contraceptive use among active-duty and veteran women. Active-duty servicewomen have high rates of unintended pregnancy and low contraceptive use, which may be due to official prohibition of sexual activity in the military, logistic difficulties faced by deployed women, and limited patient and provider knowledge of available contraceptives. In comparison, little is known about rates of unintended pregnancy and contraceptive use among women veterans. Based on this review, research recommendations to address these issues are provided.
Antenatal sexually transmitted infection screening in private and indigent clinics in a community hospital system
The study aimed to determine whether clinics that serve indigent patients demonstrate equal compliance with sexually transmitted infection testing guidelines when compared with private clinics in North Carolina. They concluded that clinics serving indigent patient populations had a higher compliance with required testing compared to private clinics. HIV testing in the third trimester remains the greatest need for improvement for all practice types.