But long-acting IUDs are gaining in popularity, experts note
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Tara Haelle
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Dec. 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The pill remains one of the most popular methods of birth control for women, along with female sterilization and condoms, a new report shows.
Among the two-thirds of women aged 15 to 44 who used birth control between 2011 and 2013, approximately 16 percent used the pill.
Female sterilization, where women have their fallopian tubes closed or blocked, was used by 15.5 percent of women, while 9.4 percent used male condoms, according to the report published Dec. 11 by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
But intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants, both types of long-acting reversible contraceptives, are close on the heels of these other forms of birth control, with 7.2 percent of women using them.
"Use of long-acting reversible contraceptives is becoming more popular," said report author Kimberly Daniels, of the NCHS. Their use has nearly doubled since the last report on findings from five years earlier, when approximately 3.8 percent of women were using them, Daniels said.
The most popular long-acting reversible contraception is the IUD, used by 3.5 percent of women in 2006 to 2010 and by 6.4 percent of women in 2011 to 2013, according to Daniels. The IUDs available in the United States include two hormonal versions, Mirena and Skyla, and one containing copper, ParaGard.
This increase in long-acting reversible contraception has followed changes in guidelines by leading health care organizations that now recommend their use to younger women and those without children, said Laura Lindberg, a senior research associate at the Guttmacher Institute.
When IUDs came out years ago, there were concerns they might raise the risk of pelvic infection and jeopardize a woman's fertility. But IUDs currently on the market don't carry those risks, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The academy now recommends these contraception devices as the first option for teens.
But Lindberg added that they do not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
"Currently, male and female condoms are the only methods on the market that prevent both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections," Lindberg said. "Until such time as other options become available, continuing to promote and support the use of these methods, either alone or in conjunction with a hormonal method, is critical to reducing the risk of STIs."
source : The Pill Remains Most Common Method of Birth Control, U.S. Report Shows
