About Us

The Contraception Choices website

There are many methods of contraception available and there's no perfect method, which it can make it difficult to choose between them.

The Contraception Choices website is designed to help women and couples decide which method of contraception might suit them best. The site provides honest information on the advantages and disadvantages of each method, and tackles concerns directly.

The Contraceptive Choices website was developed by a team of doctors, nurses and researchers from University College London in collaboration with women aged 15 to 30.

The website information is based on research evidence and theory, professional guidelines, and women's views and experiences of contraception.

The website features

Honest information
Facts about the most common concerns including periods, hormones, infertility…
What’s Right for Me decision aid
Advice from doctors and nurses – videos and clear explanations
Videos with women discussing their own experiences with contraception

We believe that

Women and men have a right to honest, straightforward information about contraception and sexual health
It’s women’s choice whether and when to get pregnant
It’s up to women to decide which method of contraception suits them
Choosing and using a contraception method is complicated – doctors and nurses should listen to women, and help them to work out what’s right for them
We believe in a positive approach to sexual health (celebrating pleasure, choice and sexual rights).

How Contraception Choices advice should be used

The Contraception Choices website makes suggestions for contraception methods, based on preferences that women enter online. These suggestions are not treatment recommendations - for most methods, women will need to get advice from a doctor or nurse who will check things like medical history, family history, medications, blood pressure, height and weight before prescribing a method.

Contraception advice and guidelines

UK Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use

Contraception Choices posters

We have developed a set of posters which can be downloaded and printed.

Questions about contraception poster.pdf

What's right for me poster.pdf

Contraception effectiveness poster.pdf

What matters to you poster.pdf

Contraception choices.pdf

In-practice audit

We are doing an in-practice audit to find out doctor and patient views about whether the Contraception Choices website facilitates better discussions and decisions in consultation.

If you would like to help us by collecting doctor and patient views on a short questionnaire, please contact judith.stephenson@ucl.ac.uk or Julia.bailey@ucl.ac.uk

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all of the young women who have advised the team on the Contraception Choices website design and content, and women who agreed to be filmed for the videos. Thanks also to members of our steering group, and to doctors and nurses who provided expert advice.

Funding

The website development was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment Programme. This website is based on independent research funded by the NIHR. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health.