Exploring Changes in Utilization of Birth Control and PrEP During COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed the face of the world as we know it. From personal tragedies to social norms to medical resources, our lives as we once knew them will never be the same. Due to the sudden need for healthcare resources, resources have been reshuffled within the industry. As we age, our primary care doctors often emphasize to us the importance of preventative health measures. Arguably one of the most important of all is preventive sexual health care. A recent study was performed to analyze the “changes in utilization of birth control” during COVID-19 (Fikslin, 2020). “Preventative sexual health care aims to prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections” (Fikslin, 2020). Within the United States, birth control is one of the most widely used methods of safe sexual practices by females ranging from oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices (IUDs), implants etc. Various methods of birth control are also used to treat several reproductive health concerns including but not limited to PCOS, endometriosis, and menstrual cramps. However, there are several obstacles that may prevent access such as lack of close pharmacies, transportation barriers, required prescriptions to obtain most birth control methods, and even the financial means to pay for an appointment! (Zuniga et al., 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic likely aggravated these opportunities to access non-critical care (AHA, American Hospital Association, 2020).

The study was conducted with a sample of 511 individuals with a mean age of 27.7 with the majority of participants being White (72.21%), Hispanic or Latina (22.34%), and Black (11.55%). 26.7% of participants indicated birth control use, with the most common method of contraception being an “IUD (44.1%), followed by hormonal pills (41.9%) and implants (8.8%)”. Around 7.5% of participants indicated that they discontinued their birth control prescription during the pandemic. 53.3% of participants reported discontinuing PrEP, a method of protecting against sexual HIV transmission. (Fikslin, 2021).

Although this study is limited in the number of participants, this data can be extrapolated to real-world health disparities. The pandemic exacerbated issues within our medical care system and highlighted the importance of access to preventative care.