🩺🪴GP Garden

Contraception

3 min read

Quick Reference

The FSRH is the most useful resource for all things to do with contraception but their free resources are quite heavy and difficult to navigate. I’ve bookmarked some pages from their free resources to hopefully speed things up. If not working (Ctrl-F and entering your search term may help)

  1. UKMEC 2019 (Medical Eligibility Criteria) - Link directly to table on page 13
  2. Progesterone only pills
    1. Table 2: Vomiting after the progestogen-only pill is taken
    2. Page 60 - Direct link Switching to the progestogen-only pill from another hormonal contraceptive method
  3. Combined Hormonal Contraception - this guideline is huge! But very useful (also see educational resources below)
    1. Page 29 - Direct link Table 3a: Switching from hormonal contraceptive method to combined hormonal contraception
    2. Page 30 - Direct link Table 3b: Switching from non-hormonal contraceptive method to combined hormonal contraception
    3. Page 68 - Direct link Table 7: Recommendations for additional contraceptive precautions when switching from combined hormonal contraception to another method
  4. Quick Starting Contraception
    1. Page 17 - Direct link Box 1: Criteria for reasonably excluding pregnancy
    2. Page 18 - Direct link Table 2: Additional contraceptive requirements (condoms/abstinence) when starting contraception excluding after ulipristal acetate emergency contraception administration
  5. Missed pill rules - can also use thelowdown.com calculator but requires a sign up.
    1. Progesterone Only Pill
      1. Page 21 - Direct link Table 1: Recommendations following incorrect progestogen-only pill use
      2. Page 26 - Direct link Table 2: Vomiting after the progestogen-only pill is taken
    2. Combined Hormonal Contraception Methods
      1. Separate FSRH Guideline Easy to follow
      2. Page 35 - Direct link 7.2.4 Severe diarrhoea or vomiting

Patient Information

Link to contraceptionchoices.org - most useful free resource now SexWise has shut down
Patient information translated to other languages.

Possibly useful website to send out to patients to help find local sexual health clinics
https://sxt.health/uk/

Useful missed pill calculator from thelowdown.com website

Educational Resources

The FSRH Guidelines are excellent but huge. They have some extra useful tables and boxes for quick reference if you’re new to contraception / sexual health consultations.

It’s worth having a look at all the guidelines and I find the tables are useful reading for a brief summary. Using ctrl-f is the easiest way to navigate if you’re looking for something in particular.

In particular from the combined hormonal contraception guideline.

  • Page 57 - Box 2: Suggested content of an initial combined hormonal contraception consultation (links to subsequent sections)
  • Page 62 - Box 3: Key messages for women considering use of tailored combined hormonal contraception regimens
  • Page 63 - Box 4: Women using combined hormonal contraception: key indications for medical review

Backlinks