New Clinical Guideline Published: Overweight, Obesity and Contraception

The new FSRH Guideline, Overweight, Obesity and Contraception has been published today.

This new FSRH guideline Overweight, Obesity and Contraception has been developed by the FSRH and brings together evidence and expert opinion on the provision of contraception to women who are overweight and women with obesity. The guideline was developed with a team of experts in the relevant fields and has been extensively peer reviewed in accordance with methodology used for developing FSRH Clinical Guidelines. The guidance is intended for use by health professionals working in SRH, general practice and obstetric and gynaecology settings and is most relevant to women of reproductive age who require contraception and have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or higher.

This guideline focuses on contraceptive choices for women who are overweight and women with obesity, reviews the current evidence regarding the interrelationship between contraception and weight (i.e., the effects of weight on contraceptive effectiveness and safety and the effects of contraceptive use on weight gain) and touches on other potential considerations relating to contraception in women with raised BMI, such as contraception after bariatric surgery and during use of weight loss medication.

Click on the image or this link to download the full guideline.