Regardless of what kind of health provider we
become, we will interact with women and patients affected by and/or connected to
women every day. An important health topic is that of sexual and reproductive
health and its implications on the patient and those around her. Knowing the
range in different types of contraception from fertility awareness strategies
to long-lasting reversible contraception
(LARC) such as the IUD (intrauterine
devices) are imperative.
The American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists recommends LARCs as the first-line contraception method to be encouraged
for most women. LARCs have been reported to be the most effective form of
reversible pregnancy prevention methods. However, each woman’s circumstance is
unique and it is our responsibility as educated, informed, and ethical
providers to provide options that work optimally for each patient and their
intended outcomes.
In March 2018, a study published by the Journal
of Obstetrics & Gynecology, found that female physicians who worked as
women’s health specialists had a substantially higher use of LARC than the
general population. From the total population of women who use birth contraception
in the United States, 12% elect to use a form of LARC. In the study’s
population of Ob/Gyn residents, 49% of women were using LARC as their contraception
method, with 91% of them using the levonorgestrel IUD (also marketed as
Mirena). Ob/Gyn residents are arguably among the most educated and trained providers
on evidence-based family planning (Ziger et al., 2017). This study analyzed surveys
from participants in the Ryan Residency Training Program. Currently, 40% of US Ob/Gyn residencies have incorporated the Ryan program in the United
States and Canada.
Although there are some studies and political
commentaries about perceived “scary” implications of IUDs – we should take time
to explore the numerous benefits and “amazing” aspects of IUDs. There are
non-hormone IUD options, multiple other tested and supported LARC methods, as
well as oral, injectable, surgical, insertable, and attachable methods.
There are also options that involve no devices at all such as fertility
awareness methods and abstinence. The important thing is to realize there are MANY
options with some being more beneficial for others. The following website outlines EIGHTEEN different
birth control methods: CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!
Zigler, R. E., Peipert, J.
F., Zhao, Q., Maddipati, R., & McNicholas, C. (2017). Long-acting
reversible contraception use among residents in obstetrics/gynecology training
programs. Open access journal of
contraception, 8, 1.
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ReplyDeleteThis is a great and very informative post. IUDs are a great form of birth control considering they are 99% effective and actually more effective that tubal ligation. according to the CDC .5% of women experienced unexpected pregnancy after tubal ligation compared to only .15% of women who used an IUD. I wonder why gynecologists don't encourage it to their patients as a first line of contraception more often considering its effectiveness. It's interesting that most providers still default to the pill as a first option.
ReplyDeleteDanielle,
ReplyDeleteI agree! Working in ob/gyn for several years I was able to see first-hand how effective the IUD is not only in pregnancy prevention but in treating menstrual disorders. I thought you would find it interesting that the American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for the IUD (with condoms used concurrently) as the recommended birth control option for adolescents who are sexually active. The reason for this is because STIs (Gonorrhea and Chlamydia) are most common from adolescence to age 25 and the IUD causes cervical mucous to thicken reducing the chance for STIs to migrate into the upper reproductive system and manifest as a PID. While the IUD is not advertised to prevent STDs, studies have shown it decreases the risk.Thanks for sharing this info with us!