About One-Third of Professionals Prescribe Subcutaneous Contraceptive for Self-Administration

FRIDAY, Jan. 16, 2026 (HealthDay News) — About one-third of health care professionals who are aware of subcutaneous depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SC) for user administration actively prescribe it, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in O&G Open.

Chase Clark, from the University of California, Davis, in Sacramento, and colleagues conducted a mixed-methods study of 422 surveys and 34 interviews with family planning experts to identify facilitators and barriers to prescribing DMPA-SC for user administration.

The researchers found that only 34.8 percent of professionals actively prescribed DMPA-SC for user administration, although 74.5 percent of professionals reported awareness. An increased likelihood of being aware of DMPA-SC for user administration was exhibited by professionals who completed a fellowship in reproductive health, specialized in obstetrics & gynecology, saw a higher number of visits for contraception in a setting with a larger number of pregnancy-potential patients, or worked at a clinic with Title X funding, Planned Parenthood, or a freestanding clinic. Internal medicine specialization, working in a pharmacy, and having a fewer number of contraception options available were negative predictors of awareness. If aware of the option, significant predictors for prescribing DMPA-SC included being gender-diverse or male, having access to DMPA-SC-specific clinical workflows, and having state Medicaid and private insurance coverage for DMPA-SC; living in a state with abortion restrictions was a negative predictor for prescribing.

“It”s safe, effective, and puts the control in patients” own hands. We should be talking about and offering it to patients without biases,” senior author Jennifer Karlin, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of California, San Francisco, said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text