Contraception and Body Weight

Publication Date: October 10, 2024
Last Updated: October 18, 2024

Summary of Statements

Evidence-based, person-centered, destigmatized care is essential for patients across all body weights and sizes. As such, clinicians should:
  • Provide person-centered, unbiased contraceptive care. This includes counseling pregnant-capable individuals on their risk of pregnancy based on sexual practices and contraceptive use regardless of body weight or size.
  • Utilize evidence-based and person-centered contraceptive counseling to offer the full range of contraceptive methods regardless of body weight or size.
  • Counsel patients about any risks and benefits associated with body weight and size to assist in their selection of contraceptive methods, including emergency contraception.
  • Counsel individuals about the potential for weight change, particularly weight gain, associated with contraceptive methods as a possible factor in decision-making.
  • Counsel individuals regarding the potential impact of weight management approaches, such as bariatric surgery and glucagonlike peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists, on contraceptive efficacy.
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Disclaimer

The information in this patient summary should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

Overview

Title

Contraception and Body Weight

Authoring Organization

Society of Family Planning

Publication Month/Year

October 10, 2024

Last Updated Month/Year

October 18, 2024

Document Type

Consensus

Country of Publication

US

Document Objectives

Understanding the relationship between contraception and body weight is an important clinical consideration. Body weight and size has the potential to affect fertility and the effectiveness of some contraceptive methods, although historically this association has not been applied within a person-centered context that would allow individuals to select their preferred contraceptive method. Further, individuals with higher body weights and larger sizes have unmet contraceptive care and counseling needs. This document aims to provide evidence-based, person-centered, and anti-racist recommendations that destigmatize contraceptive care across all body weights. Clinicians should: provide person-centered, unbiased contraceptive care, including counseling pregnant-capable individuals on their risk of pregnancy based on sexual practices and contraceptive use regardless of body weight or size; utilize evidence-based and person-centered contraceptive counseling to offer the full range of contraceptive methods regardless of body weight or size; counsel patients about any risks and benefits associated with body weight and size to assist in their selection of contraceptive methods, including emergency contraception; counsel individuals about the potential for weight change, particularly weight gain, associated with contraceptive methods as a possible factor in decision-making; and counsel individuals regarding the potential impact of weight management approaches, such as bariatric surgery and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists, on contraceptive efficacy.

Inclusion Criteria

Female, Adult

Health Care Settings

Ambulatory

Intended Users

Nurse, nurse practitioner, physician, physician assistant

Scope

Counseling, Management

Diseases/Conditions (MeSH)

D003267 - Contraception, D001835 - Body Weight

Keywords

contraception, weight

Source Citation

Zwayne N, Lyman E, Ebersole A, Morse J; and, with the assistance of Elise Boos, MD, MSc and Antoinette Nguyen, MD, MPH on behalf of the Clinical Affairs Committee and Monica Skoko Rodríguez, DNP, MPH, RN. Society of Family Planning Committee Statement: Contraception and body weight. Contraception. 2024 Oct 11:110725. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2024.110725. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39396749.