Immediate Postpartum Contraception
The immediate postpartum period presents an optimal time for initiation of effective contraception, as patients are motivated and have access to health care providers and resources. Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), including intrauterine devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants, and postpartum tubal occlusion/salpingectomy can be offered before hospital discharge.[1],[2] In the United States, available LARC methods include an etonogestrel single-rod contraceptive implant and 2 different types of IUDs— copper-containing and levonorgestrel-releasing. Because LARC methods separate the decision to contracept from the act of intercourse, they provide a highly effective, reversible form of contraception with few contraindications. For women who have completed their childbearing, postpartum surgical sterilization can be performed through various abdominal incisions with bilateral partial or complete salpingectomy. Ideally the patient has selected a contraceptive method before delivery via shared decision-making with her primary obstetric team. However, OB/GYN hospitalists are often asked to assist the patient with her decision and to perform the necessary procedures. OB/GYN hospitalists can also serve as champions for LARC insertion in their hospitals by developing programs for their immediate postpartum use.
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Ob/Gyn Hospitalists' Core Competencies

