U.S. government report says implants and IUDs are effective and safe options
WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The use of long-acting, reversible forms of contraception remains low among sexually active teen girls, though that trend seems to be changing, according to research published in the April 7 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The new CDC report included data on 7.5 million females aged 15 to 19 who sought contraception advice from federally funded family planning centers. At such centers, much of the cost of implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs) is covered, the report noted. In addition, birth control is funded under expanded Medicaid and is fully paid for under the Affordable Care Act, Ileana Arias, Ph.D., the CDC’s principal deputy director, said during a media briefing.
Among teens aged 15 to 19, the use of long-acting reversible contraception rose from less than 1 percent in 2005 to about 7 percent in 2013. The researchers also found that implants accounted for more of the increase in long-term, reversible contraception than IUDs did. Use of these contraceptives in 2013 was highest in Colorado (26 percent) and lowest in Mississippi (0.7 percent). The rest of the states ranged from 1 to 20 percent.
Groups such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend long-acting reversible contraception as a first-line contraceptive choice for teens, Arias said.
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