Contraceptive Use: Use of Most-Effective and Moderately-Effective Contraceptive Methods

Why Is This Important?

In 2018, 23.6% of NM females of reproductive age (15-44) in need of publicly supported contraceptive services were served through the network of Medicaid providers, Title X clinics, and the Indian Health Service (IHS) (data from PCCs and FQHCs were not included in this needs assessment, as information on the reason for visit is not collected). Nationally, in 2014, 71% women received contraceptive care from publicly funded Title X clinics.

Definition

The percentage of females who use a most effective or moderately effective contraceptive method is the number of females who use a most- or moderately-effective contraceptive method in the age group per 100 of the age group female client count. Most-effective contraceptive methods = sterilization (not offered if client is <18), intrauterine device (IUD), implant Moderately-effective contraceptive methods = oral contraceptive (birth control pill), birth control ring, birth control patch, injectable

How the Measure is Calculated

How Are We Doing?

The use of the most-effective contraceptive methods (sterilization [only available for clients 19 years and older], intrauterine devices [IUDs], and implants) have steadily increased in the Title X population from 4% in 2009 to 32% in 2019. The use of the moderately-effective contraceptive methods (injectable, oral contraceptive [birth control pill], contraceptive patch, and contraceptive ring) has been slowly decreasing from 50% in 2009 to 43% in 2019.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

The use of most and moderately-effective contraception in the US Title X population was 84% in 2019, compared to 76% in the NM Title X population.

What Is Being Done?

Confidential reproductive health services are provided at low- or no-cost at county public health offices, statewide, and some community health centers and school-based health centers. Thirty-nine of the 44 public health offices across the state provide the full range of contraceptive methods (including intrauterine devices {IUDs}, implants, and birth control pills). NM Family Planning Program (through the Title X grant) funds 19 provider agreement sites in Bernalillo, Lea, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Santa Fe counties, all of which provide the full range of contraceptive methods (including implants and birth control pills).

Available Services

Family planning clinical services offer access to confidential reproductive health services at low or no cost. Confidential clinical family planning services including shared-decision making counseling, birth control and laboratory tests. Find a family planning clinic: https://www.opa-fpclinicdb.com/ BrdsNBz New Mexico offers teens and free, confidential, and accurate answers to sexual health questions via text message in either English or Spanish. A teen texts a question and a trained health educator responds within 24 hours, with an average time of 6 to 8 hours. Teens text NMTeen to 66746 to opt in to the service.

More Resources

Power to Decide: the Campaign to Prevent Unplanned Pregnancy[https://powertodecide.org/] OPA: Office of Population Affairs [https://www.opa-fpclinicdb.com/] Bedsider Birth Control [https://www.bedsider.org/] Sex in the (Non) City: Teen Childbearing in Rural America [http://thenationalcampaign.org/resource/sex-non-city] Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT data center[http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/] National Center for Health Statistics [https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/teen-births.htm] Guttmacher Institute: Pregnancies, Births and Abortions Among Adolescents and Young Women in the United States, 2013: National and State Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity [https://www.guttmacher.org/report/us-adolescent-pregnancy-trends-2013]

Health Program Information

New Mexico Department of Health Family Planning Program [https://nmhealth.org/about/phd/fhb/fpp/] Public Health Offices {https://nmhealth.org/location/public/]