Clinical Tools for Contraceptive Eligibility and Practice

May 1, 2025

New to this Contraceptive Technology website are the clinical tools for family planning providers developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Contraceptive Technology Editors hope to allow providers continued access to the evidence-based, immensely practical U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria and Selected Practice Recommendations, especially in the event that political pressures cause them to be modified or removed from the CDC website. We present them here without censorship, leaving intact their scientific integrity, respect for all patients’ needs, and promotion of patients’ open access to contraceptive methods, education, and counseling.

In providing these materials, the Editors do not suggest any CDC endorsement of the Contraceptive Technology books, website, or webinars. The recommendations are intended to serve as a source of evidence-based clinical practice guidance for health care providers and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice for individual patients.

2024 Medical Eligibility Criteria (MEC)

The 2024 U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use replaces the MEC published in, 2016. The updates include, but are not limited to, contraceptive methods that are new or newly formulated and the addition or revision of recommendations for persons with the following characteristics or medical conditions:

  • chronic kidney disease
  • breastfeeding
  • postpartum
  • postabortion
  • obesity
  • surgery
  • deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism with or without anticoagulant therapy
  • thrombophilia
  • superficial venous thrombosis
  • valvular heart disease
  • peripartum cardiomyopathy
  • systemic lupus erythematosus
  • high risk for HIV infection
  • cirrhosis
  • liver tumor
  • sickle cell disease
  • solid organ transplantation
  • drug interactions with antiretrovirals used for prevention or treatment of HIV infection

2024 Selected Practice Recommendations (SPR)

The 2024 U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use replaces the SPR published in 2016. Notable additions and updates include:

  • medications for intrauterine device placement
  • bleeding irregularities during implant use
  • testosterone use and risk for pregnancy
  • self-administration of injectable contraception

Other Latebreakers

May. 01, 2025

Clinical Tools for Contraceptive Eligibility and Practice

Jan. 13, 2025

New ovarian cyst despite CHC use by patient with PCOs?

Nov. 14, 2024

Mood Swings, Depression, and CHCs

Oct. 15, 2024

Higher Body Weight Effect on Combined Hormonal Contraceptives

Sep. 09, 2024

Perimenopause: pregnancy risks

Aug. 13, 2024

NEW! 2024 MEC & SPR (Free from the CDC)

Jul. 19, 2024

Medication Interactions and Contraceptive Effectiveness

Jun. 05, 2024

“Birth control has a TikTok problem.”

May. 08, 2024

Implant: Unpredictable Bleeding and Management

Mar. 19, 2024

Weight Changes and hormonal contraceptives

Feb. 16, 2024

What most affects contraceptive continuation?

Jan. 03, 2024

Resuming CT monthly updates! Introducing the new edition of Contraceptive Technology

Dec. 20, 2021

Substance use disorder: contraceptive options counseling

Oct. 15, 2021

What’s New in Contraception?

Sep. 21, 2021

Contraceptive Technology Conference!

Aug. 25, 2021

Biologic sexism of STIs

Jul. 16, 2021

Excess breast cancer deaths after COVID-19

Jul. 04, 2021

Contraception for patients with medical conditions

May. 18, 2021

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Mar. 04, 2021

Treating vulvodynia

Feb. 11, 2021

Puzzling Over the Hurt Down-Under

Jan. 06, 2021

Serious Mental Illness and Contraception

Oct. 28, 2020

New 13-Cycle Vaginal Contraceptive System

Oct. 08, 2020

The Future of Family Planning in Post-COVID America

Sep. 09, 2020

New ASCCP Guidelines: Implications for FP

Aug. 02, 2020

On the alert: mood disorders during 2020 stressors

Jun. 25, 2020

Sex in the Time of COVID-19

May. 08, 2020

Challenges old and new during the pandemic

Mar. 31, 2020

Reproductive health in the time of Covid-19

Mar. 09, 2020

Talking about toys

Feb. 10, 2020

Missed Pills: The Problem That Hasn’t Gone Away

Jan. 02, 2020

Find the “yes! . . . and” rather than “no” or “but”

Nov. 01, 2019

Digital Family Planning: the Future is Now

Oct. 08, 2019

Irregular Bleeding Due to Contraceptives

Sep. 06, 2019

When she’s low on libido…

Aug. 06, 2019

Ouch! Best approaches to menstrual pain

Jun. 27, 2019

Contraceptive efficacy: understanding how user and method characteristics play their part

May. 29, 2019

Strategizing treatment for chronic heavy menstrual bleeding

May. 10, 2019

Perimenopause

Mar. 27, 2019

Untangling the literature on obesity and contraception

Feb. 26, 2019

High tech apps for no-tech FABM

Jan. 25, 2019

Menstrual exacerbation of other medical conditions

Jan. 04, 2019

From Princeton University: Thomas James Trussell (1949-2018)

Nov. 30, 2018

The Short and Long of IUD Use Duration

Oct. 30, 2018

Selecting a Method When Guidance Isn’t Clear-cut

Oct. 04, 2018

Healthcare in the Time of Digital Expansion

Aug. 30, 2018

Combined pills’ effect on mood disorders

Aug. 30, 2018

The Scoop on Two New FDA-Approved Contraceptive Methods

Aug. 01, 2018

Pregnancy of unknown location—meeting the challenge

Jul. 03, 2018

Big “yes” (with caveats) to CHCs during perimenopause

Apr. 02, 2018

Abortion in the U.S.: safe, declining, and under threat

Feb. 02, 2018

Hope for ovarian cancer screening test

Jan. 03, 2018

Breast cancer still a small risk with some hormonal contraceptives

Dec. 04, 2017

New treatment modality for BV

Nov. 07, 2017

Record rate of HPV-related throat cancer

Oct. 03, 2017

Viruses in semen potentially transmissible

Sep. 01, 2017

Don’t Abstain from Your Role in Abstinence

Jul. 26, 2017

Teens births declining but geographic ‘hotspots’ defy trend

Jun. 27, 2017

Online Medical Abortion Service Effective and Safe

May. 30, 2017

Do Women Really Need to Wait That Long?

May. 05, 2017

Reassuring news on depression and OC use

Apr. 06, 2017

PMDD: Genetic clues may lead to improved treatment

Mar. 02, 2017

Breast cancer risk when there is a family history

Feb. 03, 2017

Body weight link to breast and endometrial cancers (and 11 others)

Jan. 03, 2017

Family Planning in 2017 and Beyond

Dec. 01, 2016

Make Me Cry: Depression Link (Again)?

Nov. 02, 2016

Managing implant users’ bleeding and spotting

Oct. 13, 2016

Zika: Updated guidance for providers

Sep. 06, 2016

Pharmacist-prescribed contraceptives

Aug. 01, 2016

Hot off the press! 2016 MEC and SPR

Jul. 05, 2016

Zika virus fears prompt increased request for abortion in nations outlawing abortions