CDC Updates Practice Recommendations for Contraceptives

FRIDAY, Aug. 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- In two practice recommendations published in the Aug. 8 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, updated recommendations are presented relating to use of specific contraceptive methods and for persons with certain characteristics or medical conditions.

Kathryn M. Curtis, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues updated recommendations for health care providers relating to initiation and use of specific contraceptive methods after a review of the evidence. The updates include recommendations for provision of medications for intrauterine device placement; recommendations for bleeding irregularities during use of implants; recommendations for use of testosterone and risk for pregnancy; and recommendations for injectable contraception self-administration.

Antoinette T. Nguyen, M.D., also from the CDC, and colleagues updated recommendations for the use of specific contraceptive methods by persons with certain characteristics or medical conditions. Updates include the addition of recommendations for individuals with chronic kidney disease; revisions to the recommendations for persons with specific characteristics or conditions, including breastfeeding, postpartum, obesity, surgery, high risk for HIV infection, cirrhosis, liver tumor, sickle cell disease, and solid organ transplantation; and inclusion of new contraceptive methods, such as new combined oral contraceptives, contraceptive patches, vaginal rings, progestin-only pills, levonorgestrel intrauterine devices, and vaginal pH modulators.

"Voluntary informed choice of contraceptive methods is an essential guiding principle of these recommendations, and person-centered contraceptive counseling can help to ensure a person's contraceptive needs are met successfully," Nguyen and colleagues write.

U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use, 2024

U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 2024