Reproductive Health

Patient-Centered Contraceptive Care

Access Health Louisiana (AHL) follows a shared decision-making model for reproductive health education which includes collaboration between patients and their healthcare providers. During your medical exam, the physician or nurse practitioner will begin with a series of questions to identify the patient’s specific goals and needs for contraceptive services. Then, the medical provider will offer different reproductive options for the patients based upon her lived experiences, values, and preferences. When discussing different forms of contraception, the provider will inform the patient about each option so that she can make the best decision for herself.

Access Health Louisiana teamed up with Upstream, an organization dedicated to patient-centered contraceptive care. Upstream supports providers to provide patients with educational tools to engage patients and their providers to have open discussions about reproductive healthcare. Quality patient education materials can help both providers and patients navigate shared decision-making. The materials support and improve contraceptive counseling by elevating relevant information, prioritizing accessibility, facilitating conversations about all birth control options, and empowering patients to make informed choices.

Most Access Health Louisiana community health centers offer Nexplanon – a small, flexible contraceptive implant which is inserted under the skin of the upper arm to prevent pregnancy for up to five years. IUDs (intrauterine device) are also effective at preventing pregnancy. IUDs are a long-acting reversible form of contraception for individuals who may want to get pregnant later in life. It is important to remember that while some forms of contraception may prevent pregnancy, they do not prevent the transmission of sexually-transmitted diseases (STIs).

To test for STIs, Access Health Louisiana offers a variety of safe, effective options for patients. Did you know that HPV (human papillomavirus) is a leading cause of cancer in both men and women in the United States? Those infected with HPV may develop cancer of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, anus, or even throat cancer according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Access Health Louisiana now offers patients the option to self swab test for HPV infections. This option is more private and convenient for the patient because it can be done in the clinic or at home by the patient. For more information, speak to your medical provider during your next community health center appointment.

If you have questions regarding the right form of contraception for you, speak to an Access Health Louisiana provider during your next medical visit. A list of patient education resources are listed below.

Contraceptive Care Patient Education Resources from Upstream:

Upstream-Welcome-Booklet-2025 (English)

Upstream-Welcome-Booklet-SPAN-2025

Upstream-Birth-Control-Options-Poster-2025

Contraception Options for Post-Partum Moms:

Postpartum-Birth-Control-Options-Poster-2025

Source: Upstream USA