Researchers did this study to quantify the cost burden of unintended pregnancies in Norway and estimate the proportion of costs due to imperfect contraceptive adherence. Potential cost savings that could arise from increased uptake of LARC were also investigated.
An economic model was constructed to estimate the total number of UPs and associated costs in women. Adherence-related unintended pregnancies were estimated using ‘perfect use’ and ‘typical use’ contraceptive failure rates. Potential savings from increased use of LARC were projected by comparing current costs to projected costs following a five percent increase in LARC uptake.
The analysis found that unintended pregnancies total costs in women aged 15–24 years were going to be 164 million NOK, 81.7% were projected to be due to imperfect contraceptive adherence. A 5% increase in LARC uptake was estimated to generate NOK 7.2 million cost savings in this group.
The study concluded that unintended pregnancies cost in Norway is substantial, with a large proportion of this cost from imperfect contraceptive adherence. Increased LARC uptake may reduce the UP incidence and generate cost savings for both the health care payer and contraceptive user.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/41/2/109
