Preference for Contraceptive Implant Among Women 18–44 years old

Introduction: This study aimed to understand women's preferences regarding the subdermal contraceptive implant and to assess the proportion of women who would be underserved (with increased unintended pregnancies as the consequence) by not providing implant access equal to that of uterine-based long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARCs). Methods: A total of 1,200 women aged 18–44 years old (mean: 30.42 ± 7.67 years) participated in a U.S. cross-sectional online survey. To qualify for the study, women had to be sexually active with a male and not pregnant or trying to get pregnant at the time of the study. Women who had undergone a hysterectomy, a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, or a tubal ligation, and women with general infertility or those with a vasectomized partner were excluded. Descriptive analyses were conducted and weighted estimates, projecting to the total U.S. population were also provided. Results: The majority of women (72.6%) reported that they would be willing to switch to a LARC, should it be readily available to them. Considering those women who already use an implant and those who would be willing to switch to it, 58% of women would be underserved by not being provided equal access to the subdermal implant. This reduced availability of this type of LARC may alone elevate the number of unintended pregnancies in the United States by ∼8% of all pregnancies per year. Conclusion: Thus, making all the available contraceptive methods and maintaining access to LARCs would help reduce unintended pregnancies and better serve women and their family planning needs.