Contraception

The Medicines Safety Committee recommend the MHRA 'Guidance on contraceptive methods and frequency of pregnancy testing to reduce inadvertent exposures during pregnancy in a woman taking a medicine of teratogenic potential' which can be found in the link below.

To support the cost effective prescribing of oral contraceptives, a resource has been developed to identify the locally preferred products for both combined and progestogen-only contraceptives.

See document: NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service - local product recommendations.

The recommendations are applicable to both general practice and community pharmacy colleagues and is intended to highlight the locally preferred products and those that are less preferred.

OptimiseRx will be utilised to reinforce these recommendations in general practice.

The Surrey & North West Sussex Area Prescribing Committee have agreed a guide to contraceptive prescribing in primary care (see attached below), which is a quick reference guidance to be used in conjunction  with NICE Clinical Knwoledge Summaries