Contraception data 'blind spot' could hide pandemic impact on women's reproductive health

Date:
June 16, 2021
Source:
University of Warwick
Summary:
Limited data on the uptake of contraception prior to and during
crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic could mean unforeseen issues
for sexual and reproductive health services, new research concludes.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Limited data on the uptake of contraception prior to and during crises
such as the Covid-19 pandemic could mean unforeseen issues for sexual
and reproductive health services, research from the University of
Warwick concludes.


==========================================================================
It identifies additional barriers that women faced in accessing
contraception during the Covid-19 lockdown, including disruption to
sexual health services and fears about contracting the virus, as well
as a pressing need to ensure that access to contraception is maintained
to avoid the health and social impacts of unplanned pregnancies beyond
the pandemic.

The research, published in the European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, is a scoping review of existing research into
the impact of disasters on contraception in higher income countries such
as the United Kingdom to assist in disaster response planning. It aims
to establish existing knowledge from previous disasters and epidemics,
with a significant focus on the Covid-19 pandemic.

Previous research has shown that disasters are associated with increased
rates of early pregnancy loss, stillbirth and premature birth, as well
as with increased birth rates. However, until now there has not been a
review of how the uptake of contraception is affected, and what impact
this may have on women's reproductive health.

Policies on accessing contraception vary by country and include access to:
* Oral contraceptive pills * Contraceptive injection * Intrauterine
device (IUD) or Intrauterine system (IUS)
In the United Kingdom contraception is free through the NHS but requires
a prescription. However, the Covid-19 pandemic created new barriers that
may have prevented women from accessing contraception. They might avoid
going to a healthcare provider due to the fear of contracting Covid-19,
or concerns about travelling, especially if relying on public transport.

However, the research highlighted examples of good practice in
overcoming these barriers, such as drive-through or kerbside provision
of contraception. Some health providers were able to maintain access
to contraception using telehealth (i.e. video or phone consultations),
however these presented safeguarding and privacy issues. Evidence
from outside the UK also showed that making emergency contraception prescription-free rather than cost-free has a greater impact on unplanned pregnancies.

As data were not collected on the uptake of contraception prior to the pandemic, it is unclear how successful these methods have been, nor
how women's access to contraception has been affected. The researchers recommend collecting more data on the uptake of contraception, awareness
of the benefits and pitfalls of telehealth methods, and a move to making
more contraception prescription-free, as is currently being considered
for the progestogen-only pills.

Co-author Dr Julia Gauly from Warwick Medical School said: "We don't
have a clear picture of how the uptake of contraception changes during disasters or the Covid-19 pandemic, because we don't have enough data
from before, during and after the crisis to compare. Collecting better
data would put us in a better position in the future to predict things
like birth rates.

"It's important that women can access contraception and have
a choice, especially during disasters. Many people lost their
jobs during the pandemic or they became sick with Covid, so the
needs of women for contraception may have changed. Someone who was
planning to start a family might change their mind during a crisis
or pandemic, due to financial or health reasons. So it's important
that women and their partners have a choice in their family planning." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Warwick. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Benjamin Freed, Sarah Hillman, Saran Shantikumar, Debra Bick, Jeremy
Dale, Julia Gauly. The impact of disasters on contraception in
OECD member countries: a scoping review. The European Journal
of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care, 2021; 1 DOI:
10.1080/13625187.2021.1934440 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210616113841.htm

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