A Monash University trial is aiming to educate GPs about long acting reversible contraceptive methods.
An increasing number of Victorian GPs are being trained to discuss long term contraceptive implants with women to try to reduce unplanned pregnancies.
Every year, about 80,000 Australian women have an abortion and researchers estimate 50 per cent of women experience an unintended pregnancy during their reproductive years.
While long acting reversible contraceptive devices are estimated to be 20 times more effective than contraceptive pills, patches and rings, fewer than 10 per cent of Australian women choose them and a study recently found they were discussed in only 15 per cent of GP consultations about birth control options.
A new Monash University trial is aiming to overcome this by educating GPs about long acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARCs), which include intrauterine devices (IUDs) that can be placed in the uterus and hormone implants that can be inserted into a woman’s arm.
Unlike the pill, which can fail if doses are missed or forgotten, LARCs do not require strict adherence for effectiveness and some of them last between three to eight years. Insertion usually requires a local anaesthetic and takes a few minutes. Side effects include unpredictable bleeding and increased period pain, but they can be taken out at any time.
Leader of the Australian Contraceptive Choice Project Professor Danielle Mazza said she hoped it would better inform women of their options and remove barriers to access.
“Typically, patients are referred to a gynaecologist or a family planning clinic for insertion, but it often takes weeks to get an appointment and the inconvenience can put women off. We want to set up rapid referral pathways to make it quicker and easier,” she said.
As the trial progresses, women with the devices will be monitored and compared to others receiving standard care.
Clinical services manager at Dr Marie reproductive health clinics Ursula Harrisson said GPs should be encouraged to discuss LARCs with women because they could be much more reliable and cost effective than taking the pill.
phile costs varied depending on the product, she said implants that last three years could cost $36 with a Medicare rebate and up to $500 for insertion. By comparison, the cost of the Pill was& between $30-$170 for three months depending on the brand. Some doctors would bulk bill the insertion procedure, too, making a LARC even cheaper.
“If you average out the costs of visiting a GP for scripts for the contraception pill as well as the ongoing cost, a LARC is comparable in terms of cost and generally more reliable in terms of contraceptive cover,” she said.
Ms Harrison said women should also consider the cost of unplanned pregnancy. She said a 2008 study by Dr Marie found 60 per cent of women were using at least one form of contraception when they fell unexpectedly pregnant.
Forty three per cent of those women were using the pill, 22 per cent were using a condom and 21 per cent were using more than one method.