Family planning.

Abstract

The cost of unwanted pregnancies is both an economic and societal problem. In dealing with this problem, there is a level of shared responsibility that must be accepted by the mother, prospective father, medical professionals, employers, and payers. The principal area of collaboration is education. The lack of appropriate education about contraception has exacerbated the problem of unwanted pregnancy associated with myths about contraception, and IUDs in particular. It is noted that a high cost associated with contraception is noncompliance. Hence, women should be provided with appropriate education regarding the need for compliance and that physicians, as well as providers should play a prominent role in both the education and counseling on the appropriate use of contraception. In an economic analysis of contraception, it is concluded that contraception saves money, regardless of the method of contraception or payment model. It is also suggested that most of the savings are realized by third party payers, that private party payers incur savings through reduced use of induced abortion and that up-front acquisition costs for methods of contraception are poor indicators of economic value of the method.