Just Like All Your Proselytizing Friends, Medical Experts Wonder Why You Haven't Gotten an IUD Yet

Much like all of your friends who’ve gotten IUDs and now proselytize relentlessly, a committee repping the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is encouraging doctors across America to tell patients about their long-acting reversible contraceptive options.

That’s according to the New York Times, which reports that, despite studies demonstrating the comparative effectiveness of IUDs and hormonal implants, they’re still relatively less popular:

Yet fewer than 10 percent of sexually active women currently rely on long-acting reversible contraception, and a major reason is doctors’ reluctance to recommend them. Only about half of obstetrician-gynecologists offer the implant, the committee said, and many physicians use “overly restrictive criteria” when deciding whether to recommend an IUD, especially for adolescents and women who have not yet been pregnant.

In their recommendation, the docs specifically cited LARCs’ ability to reduce unplanned pregnancies among teens, and said that “almost all women are appropriate candidates” for at least one of the LARC options. And it’s totally just a little scrape, and if you need somebody to come hold your hand in the waiting room or drive you home afterward, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is so here for you.