NASPAG fully endorses the updated Medical Eligibility for Criteria for Contraceptive USE (US MEC) and U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (U.S. SPR), which were published in August 2024. We are grateful for the CDC’s work on these comprehensive documents which include recommendations for our adolescent and young adult patients. We are also grateful to our NASPAG colleagues who participated in the development of this document as well as the final review.

As the CDC states--these documents provide current evidence-based contraception recommendations for health care providers. The goals of the U.S. MEC and the U.S. SPR are to support the provision of person-centered contraceptive counseling and services in a non-coercive manner and to remove unnecessary medical barriers to accessing and using contraception.

The 2024 U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use addresses the use of specific contraceptive methods by persons who have certain personal characteristics or medical conditions. New guidance includes:

•New recommendations for persons with chronic kidney disease.

•Updated recommendations for persons with the following personal characteristics or medical conditions: breastfeeding, postpartum, postabortion, obesity, major surgery, deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism with or without anticoagulant therapy, thrombophilia, superficial venous thrombosis, valvular heart disease, peripartum cardiomyopathy, systemic lupus erythematosus, cirrhosis, liver tumor, sickle cell disease, and solid organ transplantation.

•Recommendations on additional contraceptive methods, including a vaginal pH modulator and new doses or formulations of combined oral contraceptives, contraceptive patches, vaginal rings, progestin-only pills, and levonorgestrel intrauterine devices.

The 2024 U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use focuses on provision of contraceptive methods and management of side effects and issues related to contraceptive method use.

New guidance includes:

•New recommendation for testosterone use and risk of pregnancy among transgender, gender diverse, and non-binary persons with a uterus.

•Updated recommendations for provision of medications for IUD placement and for management of bleeding irregularities during implant use.

We look forward to our webinar on Oct 8th when our CDC colleagues will share their expertise and engage in a discussion with attendees on our new recommendations. There is still time to sign up using this link: https://naspag.memberclicks.net/cdc-webinar-registration.

Thank you for all you do,

Mary Romano
NASPAG President