Contraception course for GPs

This session describes an evidence based approach to prescribing contraception for adolescents.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe the factors that need to be considered before prescribing contraception for a young person
• List the advantages and disadvantages of long acting, reversible contraceptives
• Recognise the various issues that may prevent a young person from using contraception effectively and identify some practical measures to improve concordance
• Explain what advice you would give to a young woman who had missed one or more of her oral contraceptive pills
• Recognise the legal framework in which health care professionals (HCPs) work when providing contraceptive services

There has been a significant reduction in teenage pregnancy rates in the UK. Nevertheless rates remain high compared with comparable western European countries, and further progress needs to be made.

Adolescents attain physical and sexual maturity at a time when they are taking exams, entering employment and making life-determining decisions. Around a third of young people have sex before the age of 16 but many more start sexual relationships between the ages of 16-19. For most this is not the time when they would choose to have a baby (though, of course, for some young people it is a positive choice to start a family). Effective contraception is therefore a priority in this age group.