Advertisement

In the news: Alternatives to birth control pill show gains

 
Published Feb. 24, 2015

Survey of U.S. Women

Alternatives to birth control pill show gains

Long-acting but reversible methods of birth control are becoming increasingly popular among U.S. women, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Birth control pills remain the most popular contraceptive method nationwide, but intrauterine devices and under-the-skin hormone implants are more effective at preventing pregnancy and they last for years.

National surveys show 7 percent of U.S. reproductive-age women used long-acting contraceptives in 2011-13, up from less than 2 percent in 2002. The most popular are IUDs, T-shaped devices containing hormones or copper that are inserted into the womb. They can work for up to 10 years. Implants are matchstick-size plastic rods containing hormones that are inserted beneath the skin of the upper arm. They last about three years.

Among about 61 million U.S. women ages 15-44, almost two-thirds used some form of contraception in 2011-13, an earlier CDC report found. Pills were the most common, used by 16 percent. About 15 percent chose sterilization, and about 9 percent chose male condoms.

Associated Press