Family planning is an essential part of women’s health care. For women who have existing medical conditions and are at risk of unintended pregnancy, family planning ensures they can get the obstetric care they need.
Unfortunately, a 2022 study by independent health policy organization KFF showed that many women still face obstacles in accessing family planning in the US. The study, titled 2022 KFF Sexual and Reproductive Health Survey, was conducted on a nationally representative sample of over 5,200 women from May 10 to June 7, 2022. Researchers polled respondents on their family planning use over the phone and through online questionnaires. They then aggregated respondents’ responses to come up with a final report.
The study revealed that most women aged 18 to 49 who were sexually active had used some form of contraception (65 percent) in the past 12 months. Avoiding pregnancy was the main reason why 61 percent of women used contraception, while about one-quarter used it to prevent pregnancy and for some other reason such as to prevent a sexually transmitted infection.
Oral contraceptives were the most commonly used form of contraception, accounting for 33 percent of women taking contraception. Male condoms were next with 32 percent of women, followed by intrauterine devices (IUDs) (19 percent), fertility awareness-based methods (15 percent), and emergency contraception (7 percent). About 5 percent of women used implants, 4 percent injectables, 3 percent the ring, and 2 percent the patch.
More than one in three women who were sexually active did not use contraception, however. Close to one in 10 women (9 percent) did not use contraception as they were pregnant or trying to get pregnant, 15 percent were unable to conceive, and 12 percent were sexually active but were simply not using any contraception. This means that eight out of 10 US women who are sexually active and not pregnant but could get pregnant are using contraception, while one in six is not (17 percent).
Going back to the study, 27 percent of Black women who were sexually active, not pregnant but could conceive, were not using contraception. This was higher than the 21 percent of Hispanic women and 17 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander women. Segmenting by level of income, 23 percent of women with low incomes who were sexually active and could conceive were not using contraception compared to 14 percent of those with high incomes.
Access to insurance was also a factor. About 23 percent of women who were sexually active and could conceive but had no insurance did not use contraception. For those with Medicaid, the percentage not on contraception was 22 percent and for those with private insurance, the percentage was just 14 percent.
Access to contraception was another issue. Only 77 percent of women on contraception actually got it from a doctor’s office. Some 11 percent got it from a clinic like Planned Parenthood or a community health center, 8 percent got it from a pharmacy, and 3 percent acquired it online. A significantly higher percentage of racial minorities, women with low incomes, and women with no insurance got their contraceptives from clinics and pharmacies.
Even for popular methods of contraception like oral contraceptives, supply was an issue. A surprising 95 percent of women taking oral contraceptives received less than six packs of prescription pills at a time versus the recommended 12 packs for 12 months. Hence, one-third of women taking hormonal contraceptives said they missed taking their birth control because they could not get their next supply.
Overall, a vast majority of women aged 18 to 64 (90 percent) have used some form of birth control in their lifetime. Most have used oral contraceptives (71 percent), 23 percent female sterilization, 22 percent emergency contraceptives, and 21 percent IUDs.
The study concluded that there is a need to increase public knowledge on the safety and efficacy of contraceptives. When researchers asked the women not using contraceptives their reasons for not using them, 32 percent said they were worried about side effects, 14 percent said they didn’t think they could get pregnant, 11 percent said they could not find a satisfactory method of birth control, and 9 percent said they did not know which method to use.
