MEDIA RELEASE - What's a LARC?
Family Planning NSW is today launching a new video campaign, ‘What’s LARC?’, to encourage women to consider Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC) when making decisions about their fertility management.
The ‘What’s a LARC?’ video, which features vox pop interviews with real Sydney women, asks individuals to reflect on the significance of contraception in their own lives and introduces LARC as an effective, safe, reversible and inexpensive option for preventing unintended pregnancies.
The video campaign forms part of an organisation-wide initiative to increase awareness and uptake of LARC among women in NSW.
Family Planning NSW Medical Director, Dr Deborah Bateson said, “Research shows that Australia is lagging behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to contraception – we’ve had a long love affair with the Pill and we haven’t caught on to the many other safe and effective options on the market.
“We see a lot of misinformation about contraception that generates fear for young women, so we don’t want rumours or myths to put women off trying a LARC method, or any contraception for that matter.
“For women who have never heard of LARC, we want to make them aware of the options out there, and for those who may have heard myths and rumours about LARC, we hope to put them at ease with clear, concise information.
“If you are concerned about the safety, efficacy or side effects of your contraception, your GP or family planning clinician can absolutely help you find the choice that works best for your needs.”
What exactly is a LARC?
Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives include a range of options such as Intrauterine Devices (IUDs), implants and injectables. They are:
- Highly effective – unlike the pill, LARC are a ‘set and forget’ method, which means they don’t require users to remember to take them at the same time every day. Removing this ‘human error’ risk of unintended pregnancy means LARC are more effective protection. They range between 99.2 to 99.9% in effectiveness.
- Long lasting – different forms of LARC can last from three months to thee, five or ten years at a time
- Reversible – some are immediately reversible and some can take a time to wear off, but once discontinued, the user will return to their normal level of fertility
- Safe to use – all LARC on the Australian market have been rigorously researched and refined to ensure their safety. Like all forms of contraception, your GP will discuss the pros and cons of each LARC to assess whether they will meet your health and lifestyle needs.
- Inexpensive – when compared with other forms of contraception, the upfront costs of LARC pose better value for users over their extended usage
