IUC Counseling in 6 Steps

Get to the point

When a woman expresses interest in IUC, you can help her to reach an informed decision by following the steps listed below. The times provided reflect the average duration required to address each step. Those who provide IUC care frequently may take less time.

To make counseling sessions with women time-efficient, take advantage of other clinical tools:

• You could provide a questionnaire in the waiting room, assessing her contraceptive needs (e.g. WHO reproductive health questions)
• Offer patient-level, basic information on the different contraceptive methods that she can review while waiting (e.g. SOGC Choosing a Contraceptive)
• If appropriate, consider having demonstration models of various contraceptive methods for women to compare, or handle.

Starting the Conversation

Contraceptive counselling can occur during any visit. Simple questions can be used to identify a woman’s reproductive goals:

• “Are you sexually active? With men, or women, or both?”
• “What are you using for contraception?”
• “If you got pregnant now – how would you feel about it?”
• “Are you using anything to prevent STIs?”

Let her answers guide your counselling.

Routine clinical events can serve as reminders (for the clinician) and natural segues (for a woman) for discussion of contraception.

INTRA Quick guide

Straight to the Point: Talking IUC. IntraUterine contraception: Translating Research into Action (INTRA).
Black D. and Waddington A. et al. Build Your Expertise: IUC slide deck: 74,75.