CDC releases update to practice recommendations for contraceptive use

CDC released a 2024 update to its evidence-based guidance for health care providers related to contraceptive use by their patients. The latest iteration of the U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (U.S. SPR), last revised in 2016, considers new evidence and expert feedback to reshape the guidelines.

Noteworthy changes include updated recommendations for provision of medications for the placement of intrauterine devices and for bleeding irregularities during implant use. The document also introduces new guidance addressing testosterone use and risk for pregnancy as well as for self-administration of injectable contraception.

“Each U.S. SPR recommendation addresses what a patient or health care provider can do in specific situations,” CDC noted.

The resource can also be used hand-in-hand with the companion document, the U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 2024, to determine medical eligibility for use of specific contraceptive methods based on patients’ individual medical profile.