Trends in Postpartum Contraceptive Use in 20 U.S. States and Jurisdictions: The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2015-2018.

INTRODUCTION: In the last decade, state and national programs and policies aimed to increase access to postpartum contraception; however, recent data on population-based estimates of postpartum contraception is limited. METHODS: Using Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data from 20 sites, we conducted multivariable-adjusted weighted multinomial regression to assess variation in method use by insurance status and geographic setting (urban/rural) among people with a recent live birth in 2018. We analyzed trends in contraceptive method use from 2015 to 2018 overall and within subgroups using weighted multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: In 2018, those without insurance had lower odds of using permanent methods (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53-0.98), long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) (AOR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.51-0.89), and short-acting reversible contraception (SARC) (AOR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47-0.81) than those with private insurance. There were no significant differences in these method categories between public and private insurance. Rural respondents had greater odds than urban respondents of using all method categories: permanent (AOR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.67-2.77), LARC (AOR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04-1.65), SARC (AOR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.15-1.76), and less effective methods (AOR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.11-1.72). From 2015 to 2018, there was an increase in LARC use (odds ratio [OR], 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05) and use of no method (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.07) and a decrease in SARC use (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-0.99). LARC use increased among those with private insurance (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.08) and in urban settings (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.07), but not in other subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: We found that those without insurance had lower odds of using effective contraception and that LARC use increased among those who had private insurance and lived in urban areas. Strategies to increase access to contraception, including increasing insurance coverage and investigating whether effectiveness of existing initiatives varies by geographic setting, may increase postpartum contraceptive use and address these differences.

Variation in Postpartum Use of Most and Moderately Effective Contraceptive Methods Among Louisiana Women.

BACKGROUND: Women experiencing unintended and short-interval pregnancies are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. Nationally, researchers report disparities in women's use of effective contraceptive methods based on demographic, cultural, financial and system-level factors. Despite 58% of Louisiana births being unplanned, researchers have not reported on these relationships in Louisiana. METHODS: We used Louisiana Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data from 2015 to 2018. Among postpartum women who were not abstinent, pregnant, or trying to become pregnant, we estimated use of five categories of effective contraception versus no effective method. We used multivariable multinomial logistic regression to investigate the association between effective contraceptive use and race/ethnicity, postpartum insurance and education. RESULTS: Among Louisiana postpartum women who were not abstinent, pregnant, or trying to become pregnant, 35.4% were not using effective contraception. Women with public insurance had greater odds of using long-acting reversible contraception than women with private insurance (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-2.16). Compared to women with a bachelor's or higher, women with less than high school (AOR 2.09; CI 1.22-3.56), high school (AOR 3.11; CI 2.01-4.82) or some college education (AOR 2.48; CI 1.64-3.75) had greater odds of using permanent contraception. Black (AOR 3.83; CI 2.66-5.54) and Hispanic (AOR 3.85; CI 2.09-7.11) women, women with less than high school (AOR 6.79; CI 2.72-16.94), high school (AOR 7.26; CI 3.06-17.21) and some college (AOR 7.22; CI 3.14-16.60), and women with public insurance (AOR 1.91; CI 1.28-2.87) had greater odds of using injectable contraception. DISCUSSION: Results showed variation in effective contraceptive method use by race/ethnicity, insurance and education. These findings highlight the need for state-level research into the individual, provider, and policy-level factors that influence women's contraceptive choices.

Racial Inequities in Preventable Pregnancy-Related Deaths in Louisiana, 2011-2016.

OBJECTIVE: To examine preventable pregnancy-related deaths in Louisiana by race and ethnicity and maternal level of care to inform quality improvement efforts. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational descriptive analysis of Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review data of 47 confirmed pregnancy-related deaths occurring from 2011 to 2016. The review team determined cause of death, preventability, and contributing factors. We compared preventability by race-ethnicity and maternal level of care of the facility where death occurred (from level I: basic care to level IV: regional perinatal health center) using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. RESULTS: The rate of pregnancy-related death among non-Hispanic black women (22.7/100,000 births, 95% CI 15.5-32.1, n=32/140,785) was 4.1 times the rate among non-Hispanic white women (5.6/100,000, 95% CI 2.8-10.0, n=11/197,630). Hemorrhage (n=8/47, 17%) and cardiomyopathy (n=8/47, 17%) were the most common causes of pregnancy-related death. Among non-Hispanic black women who experienced pregnancy-related death, 59% [n=19] of deaths were deemed potentially preventable, compared with 9% (n=1) among non-Hispanic white women (OR 14.6, 95% CI 1.7-128.4). Of 47 confirmed pregnancy-related deaths, 58% (n=27) occurred at level III or IV birth facilities. Compared with those at level I or II birth facilities (n=2/4, 50%), pregnancy-related deaths occurring at level III or IV birth facilities (n=14/27, 52%) were not less likely to be categorized as preventable (OR 2.0, 95% CI 0.5-8.0). CONCLUSION: Compared with non-Hispanic white women, pregnancy-related deaths that occurred among non-Hispanic black women in Louisiana from 2011 to 2016 were more likely to be preventable. The proportion of deaths that were preventable was similar between lower and higher level birth facilities. Hospital-based quality improvement efforts focused on addressing hemorrhage, hypertension, and associated racial inequities may prevent pregnancy-related deaths in Louisiana.

Policy change is not enough: engaging provider champions on immediate postpartum contraception.

Rates of short-interval pregnancies that result in unintended pregnancies remain high in the United States and contribute to adverse reproductive health outcomes. Long-acting reversible contraception methods have annual failure rates of <1%, compared with 9% for oral contraceptive pills, and are an effective strategy to reduce unintended pregnancies. To increase access to long-acting reversible contraception in the immediate postpartum period, several State Medicaid programs, which include those in Iowa and Louisiana, recently established reimbursement policies to remove the barriers to reimbursement of immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception insertion. We used a mixed-methods approach to analyze 2013-2015 linked Medicaid and vital records data from both Iowa and Louisiana and to describe trends in immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception provision 1 year before and after the Medicaid reimbursement policy change. We also used data from key informant interviews with state program staff to understand how provider champions affected policy uptake. We found that the monthly average for the number of insertions in Iowa increased from 4.6 per month before the policy to 6.6 per month after the policy; in Louisiana, the average number of insertions increased from 2.6 per month before the policy to 45.2 per month. In both states, the majority of insertions occurred at 1 academic/teaching hospital. In Louisiana, the additional increase may be due to the engagement of a provider champion who worked at both the state and facility level. Recruiting, training, engaging, and supporting provider champions, as facilitators, with influence at state and facility levels, is an important component of a multipart strategy for increasing successful implementation of state-level Medicaid payment reform policies that allow reimbursement for immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception insertions.