Contraceptive Technology Update – January 1, 2021
January 1, 2021
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Use Best Practices to Screen Patients for Substance Use Disorder
OB/GYNs and family planning clinicians should screen all patients for substance use disorders, as recommended by researchers and professional guidelines. Recent guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee on Obstetric Practice recommend anyone who enters a physician’s office for reproductive health services receive a screening for a substance use disorder.
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Collaboration with Substance Use Treatment Clinics Can Reach More Patients
Women who receive treatment for a substance use disorder would welcome services that integrate their treatment with family planning and contraceptive services, the authors of a recent study found.
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Clinicians Can Help Reduce Stigma Around Substance Use Disorder
Stigma is a major barrier to women with substance use disorder receiving reproductive healthcare and contraceptives. Clinicians should ask women, including those with substance use disorder, about their goals, values, and what they find most important in contraception.
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Family Planning Providers Can Reduce Negative Perceptions of IUDs
Despite the safety and efficacy of the intrauterine device (IUD) and the reduction of cost barriers since the Affordable Care Act, only about 12% of American women use that method of contraception. Research shows that the women most likely to use an IUD or implant are ages 25 to 34 years, were born outside of the United States, live in a Western state, and report their religious affiliation as “other."
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Researchers Suggest It Is Time to End the Default Pelvic Exam
Women who seek most forms of contraception do not need a routine pelvic examination before they are prescribed a contraceptive. Still, these exams are routine for many OB/GYN offices and reproductive health clinics, and this creates a barrier for some women — particularly those who have experienced sexual assault and intimate partner violence, according to new research.
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New Research Reveals State Reproductive Rights Affect Risks for Newborns
The authors of a recent study found that Black women in the United States have a lower risk of giving birth to low birth weight babies if they live in states with less restrictive reproductive rights, when compared with women who live in states with more restrictive policies.
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Study: The Affordable Care Act Improved Contraceptive Use
Data comparing changes in birth rates before and after the Affordable Care Act was passed suggest that reducing out-of-pocket costs is associated with increased contraceptive use.