Teens Who Use IUDs Have Lower Pregnancy Risk

The general rate of teenage pregnancies has taken an acute decline in recent years compared to national census thanks to increased use of longacting reversible contraceptives, a recent study finds. The rate of adolescent pregnancies has dropped by as close as 56 percent.

The Contraceptive Choice project headed this research on female reproductive health and presented its findings at the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. This project was created to promote the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) and to measure rates of acceptability, satisfaction, side effects, and rates of continuation across a variety of contraceptive methods. It also aims to enhance the rate of IUD usage and other contraceptive implants in St. Louis.

The researchers also hypothesized that teen pregnancy rates might decrease further by 10 percent. Other research shows that women who use LARCs have a higher rate of continuation and satisfaction, than those who use shorter acting reversible contraceptives.

Nine thousand, two-hundred, and fifty-six women from St. Louis or St. Louis County between the ages of 14 to 45 participated in the study. The women had differing sexual histories and were started on different types of birth control for the next 12 months. Those women who came from the University of Washington and enrolled in the study underwent modified birth control counseling, while those who entered from the local community health centers were given standard counseling.

In the study some 5,087 women enrolled in the Contraceptive Choice Project and among them 86 percent of patients who chose to use a LARC continued to use them compared to those who used nonLARC methods, of which only 56 percent remained. Other studies confirm the findings of this study

which also highlight the percentage of women who shared their satisfaction with their chosen forms of birth control, which consists of 84 percent of LARC users and 53 percent of non-LARC users.

Among the adolescents who chose to use LARCs, only 6 percent of them decided to have them removed after using them for 6 weeks; in light of finding them beneficial. The annual pregnancy rate among teenagers on LARCs found to be lower at 29.9/1000, compared to the 2008 annual US rate 67.8/1000, which shows a reduction of 56 percent.

After a year, during follow up, the study authors stated that these are the still the preliminary findings from a wider study which greatly implies that women who do not choose LARCs have a 20-fold increased risk of unintended pregnancy compared to those who do. They also estimate that interest in LARCs will continue to grow with more studies encouraging their use.

URL Reference:

familypracticenews.com/news/child-adolescent-medicine/single-article/larc-use-leads-to-dramaticdrop-in-teen-pregnancies/b295105115d07f04206a3b2d07f5c7b8.html rc