Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women's Access and Attitudes Towards Contraception

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and issues related to access to contraception resulted in a shift in women’s reproductive health and choices. Prescriptions of both long-acting reversable contraception and short-acting hormonal contraception declined between 2019/20 and 2020/21 across primary care and specialist sexual and reproductive health services. Increasingly, providers moved to online provision of contraception and report that demand for this continues to grow. This study aims to explore women’s attitudes, beliefs and preferences around different methods of contraception, whether and how this has changed over time, and what influences their decision making around contraception. It will also explore how the changing landscape of contraception provision, for example, digital and over-the-counter provision, and innovative models of delivery as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, impacts on women’s preferences and behaviour.