THOUSANDS of unwanted pregnancies could be prevented each year if women were told more about alternative forms of contraception, campaigners said today.
Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) includes injections and implants. But research by the Family Planning Association (FPA) suggested that women were not receiving enough information from professionals about all the birth control on offer.
The charity has called on GPs and clinics to be more proactive in discussing the full range of methods as part of Contraceptive Awareness Week.
With contraceptive injections, women need to visit the doctor every 12 weeks for another jab, while an implant lasts for three years.
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Other LARC methods include intrauterine devices (IUDs) and the intrauterine system (IUS), which can be effective for five years or more.
Many women are put off by side-effects, which differ between the methods but can include weight gain, acne and period problems. With injections, it can also take up to a year for fertility to return.
The FPA said that 25 per cent of British women aged 16 to 49 used the Pill, but only 9 per cent used LARC methods. A survey of 100 Pill-users calling the FPA’s helpline found that 76 per cent had never heard of an IUS and 34 per cent were unaware of the IUD; 24 per cent did not know about the contraceptive implant and 12 per cent had never heard of the injection.
Anne Weyman, chief executive of the FPA, said: “Research shows that if the use of implants and the IUS rose by just 9 per cent, the NHS would save about £33 million a year in costs incurred by abortion and maternity services from unplanned pregnancies.”