Who Is Offered and Who Gets an IUD or Implant Before Leaving the Hospital after Having a Baby?
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Date
2021
Authors
Huff, Cristina Wallace
Potter, Joseph E.
Hopkins, Kristine
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Volume Title
Publisher
University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center
Abstract
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Description
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recognizes that IUDs and implants are a safe and effective contraceptive option for patients right after delivery. It is also a method that many women want. This research brief reports on a recent study in which obstetrician/gynecologist Cristina Wallace, along with PRC faculty research associates Kristine Hopkins and Joseph E. Potter, analyzed who was offered and who received these long-acting contraception (LARC) methods before discharge among 199 women who delivered a baby in a Texas safety net hospital. They found that 52% of the women were offered an immediate postpartum LARC method and that, among those who got the method before leaving the hospital, satisfaction and continuation of the methods was high. However, Spanish-speaking Hispanic women were less likely to be offered the method, perhaps due to limited use of interpretation services during contraceptive counseling. They argue for the importance of health care providers to present the full range of contraceptive options throughout pregnancy to all women to help them come to a patient-centered decision on their contraceptive method of choice.