Study Finds Reproductive Health Providers Are Better at Providing Long-Acting Contraceptive Services

MEMPHIS, TN – A national survey released today by the Guttmacher Institute found that facilities dedicated to providing reproductive health care, like Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region (PPGMR), are better able to provide long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) methods to younger patients.

LARC methods include intra-uterine devices (IUDs) and long-acting hormonal implants, such as Nexplanon. Both methods are long-acting (3 years or more), reversible and don’t require patients to remember to take a pill or get a shot. Because these methods are highly effective, and relatively fool-proof, if they are more commonly used, they have the potential to greatly reduce the rates of unintended pregnancy among teens and young women.

The study, published in The Journal of Adolescent Health, finds that reproductive health care-focused facilities, like Planned Parenthood are better able to provide LARC methods to younger patients than primary care facilities for a number of reasons, including:

• Not requiring scheduled appointments
• Having flexible hours
• Offering outreach or education to young people
• Offering confidential services

The survey showed that these youth-friendly practices were more commonly offered at Planned Parenthood, Title X and similar reproductive health clinics than at other facilities.

Health care providers surveyed also report a number of challenges to providing LARC methods to younger clients, including the cost of LARC methods and limited training on implant insertion.

The study’s authors concluded that improving the ability of family planning facilities to provide LARCs may increase the use of these highly effective contraceptive methods among teens and young women.

Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region offers IUDs and implantable birth control methods to adolescents and women. Many young patients can get these methods at PPGMR at low cost or no cost through the Title X Family Planning Program.

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