Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC)

The data below are taken from the following source:  

• Long Acting Reversible Methods of Contraception in Scotland, year ending 31 March 2024. They are based on NHS prescription data from General Practices and specialist community based sexual health and family planning clinics (collected via the National Sexual Health System - NaSH). 

Data on three forms of long acting reversible contraception (LARC) are reported here: 

• the contraceptive implant, a small progesterone-only rod inserted into the arm (under the skin). It can provide protection from pregnancy for up to three years. 
• the intrauterine device (IUD) (sometimes called a coil), which is inserted into the womb and can provide protection from pregnancy for up to 10 years. 
• the intrauterine system (IUS), which is inserted into the womb like an IUD, but also contains synthetic progesterone which is gradually released into the womb to prevent pregnancy. Two IUSs are used by NHS Scotland, Mirena (which lasts for up to five years) and Jaydess (lasts for up to three years).  

 Further information about contraception methods is available from the NHS Methods of Contraception website. 

Data limitations 

The data on LARC prescribing relate to new insertions of devices in a given year, no data are collected on subsequent removals. This means that the figures presented here do not provide an estimate of the proportion of women using a LARC method at a particular point in time. Also note that the IUS is not solely used for contraception, it can also be used to help manage heavy periods. 

The data focuses on very long-acting methods of contraception; namely the contraceptive implant, IUD and IUS. Contraceptive injections are also reported on but are presented  . As multiple contraceptive injections are required per year it is difficult with the current information to determine person level data. As such, while rates are reported to allow comparison between NHS Board areas, caution should be taken interpreting these rates.  

Comparisons in insertion rates between health boards are affected by the fact that some people access sexual health services in boards other than where they live. Therefore, only national-level figures are reported here. 

Insertion rates 

The LARC prescribing rate decreased from 51.8 to 48.4 per 1,000 women between 2022/23 and 2023/24. This is lower than rates before the Covid-19 pandemic. The IUS replaced the contraceptive implant as the most common type of LARC prescribed with rates of 21.3 per 1,000 women, a fall from 21.9 in 2022/23. The rate for contraceptive implants fell from 23.9 in 2022/23 to 20.5 and the rates for IUD increased from 6.1 to 6.6. The rate for contraceptive injections increased slightly from 23.9 in 2022/23 to 24.1 in 2023/24.