Australian women are behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to access to long-acting reversible contraceptives. Will the budget change that?
More types of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) will be funded through the Medicare Benefits Schedule as part of a $354 million package to support the health and well-being of Australia’s women.
Australian women are behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to access to LARC, which consists of contraceptive injections, implants or the intrauterine device (IUD), and are more likely to pay for the expensive monthly doses of the combined oral contraceptive pill.
The new funding is unlikely to address the root cause of Australia’s low uptake: doctor bias, lack of information and limited incentives for doctors to learn how to insert LARC.
Keep reading to find out where Australia is going wrong on LARCs….
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