Cost 'limits women's choice of and access to contraception'
Cost often limits women's access to the most effective contraceptive methods, like intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subdermal implants.
This is according to a new study conducted by the University of Utah Health, US.
Dr David Turok, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and his colleagues developed the HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative (HER Salt Lake) to evaluate women's contraception choices if cost is not a factor.
According to the researchers, in addition to removing cost barriers, HER Salt Lake also made all forms of contraceptive available, and allowed participants to change methods at any time in the study without any cost.
First author Dr Jessica Sanders, research assistant professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology, said:
“When you remove cost as a factor, people are more likely to select more effective contraception methods that are often the most expensive up front. When we added education and outreach to the picture, we saw an increase in the demand for these methods.”
