Everyday Health made an infogram about the awesome results of the Contraceptive CHOICE Project!
The (amazing) effect of free birth control
Just when we thought we couldn’t possibly be any crazier about the Contraceptive CHOICE Project, they go and make this video. A few points we couldn’t resist highlighting in our “Get on Top” piece about this for Bedsider proper (and here, obvs):
- The CHOICE Project affected unplanned pregnancy rates. Among CHOICE participants 35 in 1,000 women had an unplanned pregnancy within a year, compared to the national rate of 52 in 1,000 women.
- The CHOICE Project majorly affected abortion rates. Only 6 in 1,000 CHOICE participants had an abortion, compared to the national rate of 20 in 1,000 women.
- Education’s half the battle. Toward the end, the video notes that making LARC methods more affordable is one part of the solution—many women don’t even know about these methods, or don’t think they’re an option for them.
Pretty impressive, right? Watch the video, read the article, tell a friend!
So. Much. Swoon. We’ve loved the Contraceptive CHOICE Project for a long time, but this video of women who participated talking about what the project meant for them made us fall for them all over again.
The Contraceptive CHOICE Project was an initiative of the Washington University School of Medicine to remove the most common barriers to good contraceptive use for women in the St. Louis region. Researchers partnered with community healthcare providers to first educate women about all the contraceptive options available to them, then provide those women with whatever method they thought would be best for them, completely free of charge. In other words, the project took factors like lack of information, lack of access, and lack of money out of the “what should I do about birth control?” equation.
The result? 75% of the women who participated chose long-acting, super-effective methods like the IUD or the implant. And judging from the researchers’ results and the testimonies of the women themselves in this video, seems like their choices have already paid off.
Here’s to local and national efforts to make it easier and more affordable for women to choose—and use—the best birth control method for them!
More research shows long-acting reversible methods like the IUD and the implant to be...freakin' awesome, basically.
From our latest Get on Top:
In terms of effectiveness, not all birth control methods are created equal. And if there was any doubt as to which methods stand out in that arena, an article by the folks behind the Contraceptive CHOICE Project (just published in the New England Journal of Medicine) should put it to rest. The researchers found that when cost and lack of information aren’t an issue, women are way more likely to choose a super-effective method of birth control like the IUD or the implant. This is great news since the researchers also found that those methods are way less likely to fail than other methods.
Weekend Reading: Birth control cost varies widely, study suggests more women choose IUD if free
Following up on our post about birth control and economics from a few days ago, this is a great summary (and not just because it mentions Bedsider, though we love that too) from Lauran Neergaard of the AP of the real costs of different types of birth control and the important part cost can play in what method women choose.
