All women and men of reproductive age will achieve optimal health and wellness, fostering a healthy life course for them and any children they may have.Background
- Unintended/unplanned pregnancies are associated with poorer pregnancy outcomes including:
- increased likelihood of abortion
- exposures to potentially harmful substances in pregnancy
- poor pre-pregnancy disease control
- late entry to prenatal care
- increased likelihood of low birth weight in offspring
- maternal depression
- reduced school completion and lower income attainment (if woman not married)
- The current rate of unintended pregnancy is 49%.
- Approximately 50% of unintended pregnancies occur in a month in which the woman used some form of contraception. This can be explained by:
- Inconsistent or improper use
- Discontinuation because of side effects
- Ambivalence about pregnancy desires
- Method failure
- Partner sabotage
- Short and long interpregnancy intervals (IPIs) have also been associated with increased risks for poor pregnancy outcomes.
- In 2006, a meta-analysis of 67 articles studying the impact of IPIs determined that intervals < 18 months and > 59 months are significantly associated with growth restriction, low birth weight and preterm birth (Conde-Agudelo et al., JAMA 2006).
- The analysis also found some suggestion that IPIs < 6 months and >50 months increase the risk of fetal and early neonatal deaths.
- A recent analysis of interpregnancy intervals found that 35% of the sample conceived pregnancies within 18 months of a previous birth (Gemmill and Lindberg, Obstet Gynecol, 2013).
- Another analysis found that excess risk for preterm birth may be reduced by up to 8% among African-Americans and up to 4% for Caucasians by increasing the interpregnancy intervals to 18-23 months (Hogue, Menon, Dunlop, Kramer. AOGS, 2011).
- Helping a woman achieve the highest level of wellness prior to conception as an important strategy to promote a healthy pregnancy and healthy outcome is difficult if not impossible if women do not actively consider when they want to become pregnant.
- Addressing interpregnancy intervals can only occur prior to conception.
- For this reason, the National Preconception Clinical Toolkit is built around assessing and addressing a woman’s reproductive life plan to determine:
- Who desires pregnancy
- Who is ambivalent or at risk for an unintended pregnancy
- Who does not desire pregnancy
- Assessing every potentially fertile woman’s (couple’s) reproductive life plan is an efficient way to focus the primary care visit. The reproductive life plan (“RLP”) allows clinicians to assess desires and risks for conceiving before the next primary care visit.
- One strategy which is being widely used is available on the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/preconception/documents/rlphealthproviders.pdf. The link provides a PDF that is appropriate for staff education and to serve as a reminder of specific guidance in assessing a woman’s (or couple’s) reproductive life plan.
- Initially, many women will indicate they haven’t considered a lifetime reproductive plan. In such cases the following steps are likely to be helpful:
- Ask woman if she hopes to become pregnant in the next year and tailor care based on the response;
- Explain that many women haven’t formally considered their short and long term reproductive goals but it is beneficial to think through choices to maximize likelihood of achieving desires with the healthiest outcomes possible;
- Encourage woman to actively consider her reproductive goals and, when appropriate, to discuss them with her partner, prior to her next visit;
- Explain that plans are likely to change over time and that is to be expected – what is important is to undertake pregnancy when she is in an optimal state of health;
- Provide some background information in the form of a handout. A simple introduction to RLPs for women and their partners and a related worksheet can be downloaded as a handout from http://www.cdc.gov/preconception/reproductiveplan.html.
- Review the information under the tab, “RLPA” to learn more about reproductive life plan
- It is recommended that after understanding the woman’s desires about conception in the next year, the woman be asked the following:
- What family planning method she wants to use to avoid pregnancy.
- Abstinence should be accepted as a choice for women who are not in a sexual relationship
- How sure she is that she will be able to use the method without problems.
- If she is unsure about ability to use effectively, counseling about other options is indicated
- What family planning method she wants to use to avoid pregnancy.
- The woman’s desired choice should be matched with its appropriateness given her medical profile.
- Every clinician is encouraged to download the US Medical Eligibility Criteria (USMEC), 2012 for posting in their offices.
- This resource can be accessed at: www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/unintendedpregnancy/usmec.htm
- A smart phone app also exist for the USMEC which is downloadable at https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=595752188&mt=8.
- Every clinician is encouraged to download the US Medical Eligibility Criteria (USMEC), 2012 for posting in their offices.
- For a woman who indicates she desires a short interpregnancy interval:
- Provide non-judgmental education about the benefits of longer intervals;
- Balance the benefits of longer intervals with the woman’s medical history, prior reproductive history, age and other considerations.
- Every woman should be encouraged to be proactive when their plans about pregnancy change
- Specifically acknowledge this happens and provide encouragement to contact your practice before putting themselves at risk for an unplanned (and potentially at-risk) pregnancy is a good strategy.
- Every woman who does not desire to become pregnant in the next few weeks should be offered information about emergency contraception (EC). For a nice resource guide on EC for health care providers and their patients go to http://ec.princeton.edu/emergency-contraception.html
- Choosing if and when to have a pregnancy or child is an important first decision that will help a woman achieve her goals of either avoiding a pregnancy or having a healthy pregnancy outcome.
- A reproductive life plan is a tool to help women (and their partners) consider what they want to achieve relative to reproduction in both the short and long term.
- Helping the woman match her contraceptive choice to her reproductive desires, her confidence about using the method effectively and her medical eligibility for using the method is likely to result in more patient centered counseling and better satisfaction.
- Accept that all contraceptives have problems by specifically encouraging the woman to contact your office if she is worried or dissatisfied with her method.
- Accept that users often make errors in using methods of contraception and be sure that women choosing no method and women choosing user-dependent methods are aware of Plan B or other emergency contraception information and know how to access and use.
- Responses to the reproductive life plan assessment should never be considered “right” or “wrong” but rather an opportunity to start where the patient is and to provide relevant health promotion and disease prevention education and counseling.
- Inferring that a plan is “good” or “not good” invites the woman to disregard relevant guidance.
Clinical Guidance
- Encourage the woman to consider whether she wants any or any more children during her lifetime and, if so, when she hopes to become pregnant. Offering a worksheet such as the one created by the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/preconception/reproductiveplan.html) may be a helpful tool for the woman to take home.
- Provide contraceptive counseling that is consistent with the woman’s reproductive plan. For instance, long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) may be ideal for the woman who is clear she does not hope to become pregnant in the near future.
- If a woman indicates she would like to become pregnant at some time in her future, provide information about decreasing fertility with advancing maternal age so she can make an informed decision about how long to postpone future pregnancies.
- If uncertain how long she wants to wait until she becomes pregnant and she has had a prior pregnancy, educate about the ideal interconception interval (18-59 months).
- Match the specific contraceptive method to the woman’s medical profile; if she has a medical diagnosis refer to US Medical Eligibility Criteria (USMEC, 2012) for guidance.This resource can be accessed at: www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/unintendedpregnancy/usmec.htm
- A smart phone app also exist for the USMEC which is downloadable at https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=595752188&mt=8.
- Provide the woman with Plan B or other emergency contraception (EC) information if she chooses no contraception or a method that is user-dependent. For information about EC go to http://ec.princeton.edu/emergency-contraception.html
- Acknowledge that people’s plans often change; encourage the woman to return to your office if she decides to become pregnant before her next routine visit to assure that all available steps to promote the healthiest pregnancy and infant possible have been taken.
Clinical Tools
EC Resource website through Princeton University in association with AHRP
CDC Recommendations on Reproductive Life Planning (Last updated 2011)
http://www.cdc.gov/preconception/documents/rlphealthproviders.pdf
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP): CME/CE opportunities including topics on contraceptive counseling. (Last updated 2012)
http://www.arhp.org/professional-education/medical-education-opportunities
CDC (2010) U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (Adapted from the World Health Organization Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 4th edition). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 59(RR04): 1-6. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5904a1.htm
Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use – smartphone app (Last updated 04/2013)
https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=595752188&mt=8
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy: Tips to Improve Contraceptive Use Booklet (Last updated 2013)
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/pubs/carefulcurrentconsistent.pdf
Clinician Resources for Advancing Long Acting Reversible Contraception:
http://www.larcfirst.com/
Reproductive Health Access Project: Contraception resource
Patient Resources
CDC Worksheet on Reproductive Life Planning (Last updated 2011)
http://www.cdc.gov/preconception/reproductiveplan.html
Association of Reproductive Health Professional (ARHP): Tool to help women match their characteristics and needs to appropriate methods of contraception. (Last updated 2012)
http://www.arhp.org/Publications-and-Resources/Patient-Resources/Interactive-Tools/Choosing-a-Birth-Control-Method
Planned Parenthood Federation: Patient Education on Contraceptives (Last updated 2013)
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control-4211.htm
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010). U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 2010 (Adapted from the World Health Organization Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 4th edition). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 59(RR04): 1-6.
Conde-Agudelo, A., Rosas-Bermundez, A., and Kafury-Goeta, A. (2006). Birth spacing and risk of adverse perinatal outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of the American Medical Association, 295 (15) 1809-1823.
Gemmill, A. and Lindber, L.D.(2013). Short interpregnancy intervals in the United States. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 122 (1) 64-71.
Hogue, C.J., Menon, R., Dunlop. A.L, and Kramer M.R. (2011). Racial disparities in perterm birth rates and short inter-pregnancy interval: an overview. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 90, 1317-1324.
Moos, M.K., Dunlop, A.L., Jack, B.W. et.al. (2008). Healthier women, healthier reproductive outcomes: recommendations for the routine care of all women of reproductive age. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 199 (6B) S280-289.
