Researchers did this study to assess postpartum contraceptive choices of women participating in a group versus traditional prenatal care.
The present study is a retrospective cohort study assessing postpartum contraceptive choices of women participating in a group versus traditional prenatal care. Patients were derived from a database of all deliveries at Christiana Hospital in Newark, USA. Within this database, group prenatal care patients were identified, and a two-to-one matched set of similar traditional prenatal care patients was created.
Included in the final analysis were 867 patients: 289 group and 587 traditional prenatal care participants. Groups were similar in selecting sterilization, condoms, injection, and other short-acting hormonal contraceptive methods. Group prenatal care patients were more likely to utilize contraception postpartum, particularly LARCs. This difference was most pronounced for women aged 20–24 years.
The study concluded that participation in group prenatal care as opposed to traditional prenatal care increases postpartum contraception and increases the uptake of LARCs. The association of group prenatal care participation with LARC use is particularly apparent for women aged 20–24 years.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/44/2/103
