New research from Washington University in St. Louis reveals that women who receive birth control for free are less likely to have an unplanned pregnancy—and also less likely to have abortions—than women in the general population.
The study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, followed more than 9,000 women over five years starting in 2007. Researchers educated the women—ages 14 to 45, many of them poor or uninsured—about different kinds of birth control and gave them their choice of method at no cost.
When given their pick of contraceptive, 75 percent of the women chose implantable options like intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants inserted under the skin. This is unsurprising, given that past research has shown that long-lasting, reversible implants are the most effective (implants can last up to 10 years; IUDs up to 5).
But outside of this study environment, there’s another factor to consider: Implants are most expensive method of birth control. They can cost between $ 500 to $ 1,000 for the device and insertion.
The availability of birth control at no cost lowered both pregnancy rates in teenage girls and abortion rates among all participants. The birth rate of the study’s teenage participants was six births per 1,000 girls, compared with the national rate of 34 per 1,000 in 2010. There were six abortions a year for every 1,000 women in the project, compared with the national rate of almost 20 in 1,000.
Study author Dr. Jeffrey Peipert told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the project reveals the potential impact of full insurance coverage of contraceptives under the Affordable Care Act.
Under the ACA, women with insurance will soon be able to get birth control without a copay or coinsurance (Learn more about women’s services covered by the ACA here.)
For information about birth control, check out our birth control info here. Not all forms of birth control will be covered under the ACA (like, say, brand-name methods that have generic alternatives), but it’s good to know your options, regardless.
More from WH:
Birth Control is an Economic Issue
The History of Contraception
Best Birth Control For You
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