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Prescribed Short-Acting Hormonal Contraceptive Use Among Premenopausal Females
Israel Bacha1, Suleepon Uttamapinan1, Hannah Harsanyi2
1Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.
JAMA Network Open
|July 17, 2026
Summary
Short-acting hormonal contraceptive use increased in young US premenopausal females and among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic individuals. Progestin-only formulations remained uncommon. This study highlights evolving contraceptive trends.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Public Health
- Contraception Research
Background:
- Hormonal contraceptive use significantly impacts reproductive and general health.
- Understanding trends in short-acting hormonal contraceptive (SAHC) use among US premenopausal females is crucial but insufficiently characterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate trends in the prevalence of prescribed SAHC use among US premenopausal females.
- To identify factors associated with SAHC use in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- Serial, cross-sectional analyses utilized nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999-2000 to 2017-2020.
- Included noninstitutionalized premenopausal females aged 15 to <60 years without a history of breast cancer.
- Prevalence of SAHC (primarily oral contraceptives) was extracted from prescription data.
Main Results:
- SAHC use significantly increased among females aged 15 to <20 years (5.2% to 15.1%).
- Prevalence remained stable for ages 20 to <40 years and low for ages 40 to <60 years.
- Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic females showed lower prevalence but the greatest relative increases in SAHC use.
- Progestin-only formulations remained consistently low (<6% in 2017-2020).
Conclusions:
- Prescribed SAHC use has increased among younger US premenopausal females and certain racial/ethnic minority groups.
- Significant disparities in SAHC use persist across racial/ethnic groups.
- Progestin-only formulations constitute a small proportion of SAHC use over time.
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