Deanna C. McCullough, MD
Immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) represents a safe and effective contraceptive strategy. Despite national guidelines recommending universal patient access, hospitals face significant barriers to offering inpatient LARCs. It is unclear why some hospitals successfully implement immediate postpartum LARCs, while others do not.
Moniz et al conducted a comparative, multiple case study of immediate postpartum LARC implementation at eleven “early adopter” U.S. hospitals and analyzed each hospital’s implementation strategy to produce generalizable knowledge about how and under what circumstances implementation of immediate postpartum LARCs unfold successfully. Between 2017-2018, the authors conducted single-day site visits and 78 semi-structured interviews with a variety of stakeholders (clinician champions, nurses, pharmacists, revenue cycle staff, and hospital administration). On average, sites used 18 (range 11-22) implementation strategies, including assessing institutional readiness for, and barriers to, implementation of immediate postpartum LARC, engaging reproductive justice experts and community resources to address social determinants of health, involving patients in implementation planning, and developing quality monitoring processes to evaluate clinical processes and outcomes. The researchers found that successful implementation of immediate postpartum LARC required three essential conditions: effective implementation champions who are supported by a multidisciplinary implementation team; creating an enabling financial environment; and engaging hospital administration. Additional findings from this study call for more support for individuals leading change in complex care settings, intentionally designing implementation interventions that take into account local contextual influences, and meaningfully engaging patients in the implementation process.
Of postpartum women, 61% in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have an unmet contraceptive need and many face high rates of short interpregnancy intervals (Moore). Additionally, 51%-96% of postpartum women in LMIC use short-acting methods of contraception (Moore), further highlighting the need for increased access to immediate postpartum LARC in LMIC. Data on the use and continuation of immediate postpartum LARC in LMIC is limited. Marchin et al conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine 6-month continuation rates of immediate postpartum LARCs among women in 69 low-income countries that were enrolled in the Family Planning 2020 initiative. The meta-analysis ultimately focused on the copper IUD due to the absence of relevant studies on other LARC methods. The meta-analysis of 12 studies resulted in a pooled 6-month continuation rate for immediate postpartum copper IUDs of 87%, a rate comparable to continuation rates found in higher-income countries. This estimate had significant heterogeneity between studies. Secondary outcomes of expulsion, removal, and infection rates were low at 6%, 5%, and 0.2% respectively. High 6-month continuation rates and a low rate of adverse outcomes suggest immediate postpartum copper IUD insertion represents a feasible and acceptable postpartum contraceptive option for women living in LMIC.
In cases where contraception methods fail, are used incorrectly, or are not used at all, emergency contraception (EC) can be used after intercourse to prevent pregnancy. Timely access to, and accurate knowledge of, EC are especially important for rural women who are more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy resulting in a live birth compared to urban women. Milkowski et al analyzed publicly available data from the National Survey of Family Growth to estimate differences in oral EC use, access, and counseling by rural-urban county of residence among U.S. women aged 15-44 years. 10% of rural and 19% of urban women who had ever been sexually active reported ever using EC pills. Over the course of the study period (2006-2017), the percentage of women reporting ever-use of EC increased linearly in both rural and urban populations, with the prevalence of EC ever-use more than doubling in each group. This observation likely reflects an overall increase in EC use during a time period in which the federal government enacted several policies to improve access to EC. The study findings also highlight the need for improved patient counseling on EC. While the overall prevalence of EC counseling was low among all women, rural women were less likely to have received counseling on EC when compared to urban women.
Although many studies report weight gain in users of progestin-only hormonal contraception (POC), a recent Cochrane systematic review found that there was insufficient evidence to determine the effect of POCs on weight (Lopez). Beksinska et al conducted a secondary analysis of prospective weight change among women enrolled in the Evidence for Contraceptive options and HIV Outcomes (ECHO) trial, which was an open label, prospective, randomized multicenter trial that compared the risk of HIV acquisition among women randomized to injectable contraception (DMPA), the copper IUD, or a second generation two rod levonorgestrel (LNG) implant JadelleÒ. This trial was conducted at 12 sites across four African countries between 2015 and 2018. Eligible study participants were nonpregnant, HIV negative, sexually active women aged 16-35 years who desired contraception. The final sample size included 7,014 women randomly assigned to receive DMPA (2,293), the LNG implant (2,372), or the copper IUD (2,349). Using a standardized protocol and calibrated equipment across all study sites, weight and height were measured at baseline and at study exit at 12, 15, or 18 months. The mean weight increased amongst all three contraceptive groups and was significantly different in magnitude, with the largest gain in the DMPA group (3.5 kg), 2.4 kg in the LNG implant group, and 1.5 kg in the copper IUD group. Unlike copper IUD users, women in the DMPA and LNG implant group continued to gain weight after 1 year of contraceptive use. It is noteworthy that, regardless of contraceptive method allocation, not all women gained weight and a small proportion of women lost weight. When choosing a contraceptive method, women using POCs should be counselled about the potential side effect of weight gain.
References:
Moniz MH, Bonawitz K, Wetmore MK, et al. Implementing immediate postpartum contraception: a comparative case study at 11 hospitals. Implement Sci Commun. 2021;2(1):42. Published 2021 Apr 12.
Moore Z, Pfitzer A, Gubin R, et al. Missed opportunities for family planning: an analysis of pregnancy risk and contraceptive method use among postpartum women in 21 low- and middle-income countries. Contraception 92 (2015): 31–39.
Marchin A, Moss A, Harrison M. A Meta-Analysis of Postpartum Copper IUD Continuation Rates in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. J Womens Health Dev. 2021;4(1):36-46.
Milkowski CM, Ziller EC, Ahrens KA. Rural-urban residence and emergency contraception use, access, and counseling in the United States, 2006-2017. Contracept X. 2021;3:100061.
Lopez L.M., Ramesh S., Chen M. Progestin-only contraceptives: effects on weight. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008815.pub2.
Beksinska et al. “Weight change among women using intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, a copper intrauterine device, or a levonorgestrel implant for contraception: Findings from a randomised, multicentre, open-label trial. EClinicalMedicine. 2021;34:100800.