Nearly Half (49%) of Women Face Barriers: Women across the UK report long wait times, difficulty securing appointments, and financial hurdles when trying to access their preferred method of contraception.
Dissatisfaction with Current Options: 84% of women have switched their contraception methods at least once, 1 in 7 women are unhappy with the side effects of their current contraception, and only 21% are currently using oral contraception, compared to 44% who said they had used it previously. Nearly a third of respondents (28%) have no main method of contraception.
Demand for Non-Hormonal Choices and Male Contraception: 72% of women expressed interest in a non-hormonal method like contragestives. And 76% of women would trust their male partners to use long-acting reversible contraception, such as male contraceptive pills, gels, or injections, if they were available.
Calls for Immediate Action: BPAS urges the Government to increase investment in contraceptive services, reduce contraception wait times, and support innovation in non-hormonal contraceptive options, including contragestives.
BPAS has today launched “The Contraception Conversation”- a bold new campaign aimed at revolutionising the future of fertility control.
Today, BPAS releases its groundbreaking report, Contraception, Re-Imagined: The Unfinished Revolution, to address critical gaps in the UK’s contraceptive services. Drawing on a survey of over 1,000 women aged 18-45, the report exposes significant barriers to contraceptive access, growing dissatisfaction with current options, and a rising demand for more non-hormonal choices. The report makes a series of urgent recommendations aimed at ensuring that women can access the contraception they need, when they need it.
Heidi Stewart, CEO of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said:
“Women are telling us loud and clear that they’re being let down by a system that should be supporting them. When nearly half of women face barriers just trying to access basic contraception, we have a problem that needs fixing urgently. This report is a call to action for policymakers to put women’s needs first, invest in these services, and make sure no woman is left waiting months for the care she deserves.”
“Contraceptive innovation has stalled for decades. Women deserve modern, effective methods that fit their lives without the burden of sometimes debilitating side effects. Our report shows that there is a real appetite for contraceptive innovation both in new methods and in male contraception, and it’s time we listened to those voices. We have a chance to revolutionise the future of contraception—let’s not miss it.”
Dr. Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said:
“Access to quality contraception care is a vital part of sexual and reproductive rights for women. It is not only a part of family planning but also an essential healthcare service throughout the life course.
We welcome this BPAS report that calls for improved access to existing contraception and increased investment in contraceptive innovation. This is imperative in ensuring that women and people have access to convenient and fit for purpose contraception care both now and in the future.”
Caroline Criado-Perez, Author and Feminist Campaigner, said:
“If you’re reading this report, chances are that you’re a believer in a woman’s right to choose. You believe in a woman’s right to choose if and when she wants to have a baby. And you believe in her right to choose how she controls her fertility.
But belief in a woman’s right to choose only takes us so far. Because unless there are actually good options for her to choose from, well: that’s no choice at all. And yet this is where, according to the findings of this report, we find ourselves.
By identifying gaps in contraceptive provision this report represents an important first step to closing them. Now, we must act on its findings. Women (and men) deserve better. We deserve better laws. We deserve better contraception. We deserve better choices.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact Georgina O’Reilly, BPAS Associate Director of Campaigns and Communications (maternity cover), on georgina.oreilly@bpas.org or 07384 891886.
About BPAS
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, BPAS, is a charity that sees over 100,000 women a year for reproductive healthcare services including pregnancy counselling, abortion care, miscarriage management and contraception at clinics across Great Britain.
BPAS exists to further women’s reproductive choices. We believe all women should have the right to make their own decisions in and around pregnancy, from the contraception they use to avoid pregnancy right the way through to how they decide to feed their newborn baby, with access to evidence-based information to underpin their choices and high-quality services and support to exercise them.
BPAS also runs the Centre for Reproductive Research and Communication, CRRC. Through rigorous multidisciplinary research and impactful communication, the CRRC aims to inform policy, practice, and public discourse. You can find out more here.
