Australian women’s contraception education ‘insufficient’: Survey

The excessive financial burdens and fears Australian women face when managing their reproductive health have been brought to light in a new Bayer Contraceptive Choice survey.
 
The survey of 1000 women aged 18–45 found 70% believed there was insufficient education available on their contraceptive options, with 32% experiencing anxiety over their current method.
 
It found that for 42% of respondents, their reason for not trying a new contraceptive method was fear of side effects, and 21% were worried about the cost or time taken to switch.
 
Additionally, 17% said they did not know enough to make an informed choice.
 
The alarming new data has triggered a cross-organisational collaboration to call for reform, with the RACGP, Family Planning Alliance Australia, and Bayer standing together to push for MBS reform.
 
RACGP Chair Dr Lara Roeske spoke at the survey’s launch in Melbourne and said it highlighted the important role of GPs as the primary source of contraception information for women.
 
But Dr Roeske said there is much that needs to change to improve healthcare for women and that currently, Medicare does not ‘recognise the complexity’ of that care.
 
‘Reversible contraceptives are safe and they’re an effective means of contraception, and they are a game changer for women, but uptake is low,’ she said at the launch.
 
‘There needs to be adequate time to consult a patient to understand their risk factors, their family history, their medical history, their personal choice and preferences, their goals.
 
‘There needs to be appropriate resourcing and investment in clinics, including height-adjustable beds, access to trained practice nurses, we need appropriate equipment to manage a range of associated impacts that can occur throughout a procedure.’
 
The three organisations are now calling for an increase in the MBS rebate (item 35503) for the insertion of intrauterine devices (IUDs) from $77.65 to $222.65 to better reflect the time and resources healthcare professionals invest for their patients.
 
It is also calling for a 20% increase in the MBS rebate for longer consultations which can support women and their healthcare professionals to address specific women’s health topics.
 
Lastly, the group is demanding a national contraception awareness campaign to address gaps in education around contraceptive options, particularly long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs).
 
Health and Aged Care Assistant Minister Ged Kearney welcomed the survey insights, which she said will help inform the Federal Government’s approach to women’s health.
 
‘Bias against women in the health system is deeply entrenched,’ she said.
 
Adding to women’s anxiety, the study found 36% of Australian women say they have experienced a pregnancy scare and 42% have taken emergency contraception.
 
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins, who works on the Women’s Health Advisory Council, told newsGP that female reproductive health is central to general practice.
 
‘Women’s health is core training for GPs and, as a female GP, contraception and reproductive health represent a majority of my consultations,’ she said.
 
Dr Higgins does not believe the problem lies in misinformation within general practice but with cost barriers and medical misogyny.
 
‘The decisions around the MBS were made a long time ago, they were decided largely by men and didn’t appreciate the impacts of their decisions on women,’ she said.
 
‘As a GP, one of my biggest frustrations has been the cost and access to IUDs and the lack of value attached to it with the low Medicare rebate.’
 
In the MBS, there is a $145 extra cost for IUD insertion compared to vasectomies.
 
Dr Higgins says these types of gendered costs prevent women from accessing IUDs, LARCs or exploring other options.
 
‘Men are often hailed as being heroes for having a vasectomy as their contribution to reproductive choices, but women are penalised by the health system for it,’ she said.
 
‘GPs would love to give more LARCs and do more, but the cost is a barrier for women.’
 
Although LARCs are one of the most effective forms of reversible contraception it is used by only 11% of women aged 15–44 in Australia.
 
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birth control IUD LARC long-acting reversible contraception Medicare reproductive health women’s health