Contraception

Description

• Medications or procedures that control timing of pregnancies and prevent unintended pregnancies
• Contraception options are divided into two major categories: hormonal and nonhormonal.
• The most effective methods of contraception are vasectomy, female sterilization, and the long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs).

Epidemiology

• The estimated prevalence of contraception use among women age 15 to 44 years is 61% in the United States (1).
• 49% of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, and half of these occur in women using a form of reversible contraception.
• 43% of all unintended pregnancies in the United States result in termination.
• The most frequently used forms of contraception in the United States (in order of prevalence) are oral contraceptive pills (OCPs), female sterilization, male condom, male sterilization, and depot injectables.
• Although LARCs are one of the most effective forms of contraception, they are among the least used methods in the United States.

Risk Factors

Unintended pregnancy: higher rates among women ages 18 to 24 and >40 years, unmarried/cohabitating women, women with less than a college education, and minority women