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Learn about Your OptionsLong-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) in Louisville, Kentucky
Baptist Health Louisville: Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC)
Long-acting and reversible birth control options include an implantable rod and intrauterine devices. Learn more about their benefits from Baptist Health.
Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) in Louisville, Kentucky HealthTalks Transcript
Laura Slone, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology:
There are multiple options for birth control, including birth control pills and injectable contraceptives, and now there are long-acting reversible contraceptive options. These include an implantable rod that goes in the arm and intrauterine devices that are IUDs inserted into the uterus.
The implantable rod has a hormone in it called progesterone. It’s implanted in the arm just under the skin and helps to prevent ovulation every month. Intrauterine devices, there are five that are currently approved in the United States. All of the long-acting reversible contraceptive options are over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.
The biggest benefit is that they’re approved for up to 10 years. Another big benefit is that they do not rely on the patient for long-term use and efficacy. They also, once they’re removed, allow return to fertility very rapidly. They can be placed in the office during a short procedure that is very safe.
Patients like the long-acting reversible contraceptive options because they can come into the office, have it placed, and then they can go home and forget about it. They don’t have to think about taking a pill or getting an injection. When they’re ready to get pregnant, they just come back into the office, and we take the device out.
