World Health Organisation spotlights World Contraceptive Day as “freedom for all. Freedom to plan, power to choose.”  Yet although two-thirds of women aged 18 to 39 take contraceptive pills, many face barriers to information that remain rampant, especially online.

MOJO News asked two of Melbourne's leading health experts to offer some insight into contraception and the constraints.

Head of the Monash University Women’s Health Research Program Professor Susan Davis looked at contraceptive youth and women aged 18-39 and found that “43 percent of women, less than half of them, were using a hormonal contraceptive”.

“Of the 43 percent of women, two-thirds of them were using a contraceptive pill,” Davis said. 

“What was interesting was, of the women using the pill, one-third were using a pill that was not reimbursed by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), " she said.

“Which meant that, two things: that one-third women who were taking the pill that best suited them were being forced to pay out of pocket for it. And secondly, that there are a whole lot of women who this would be the best pill for, but who wouldn’t afford it because of a socio-economic divide."

The PBS added pills Yaz and Yasmin to the scheme on March 1, 2025. 

The pills contain drospirenone and ethinylestradiol respectively, which Davies said are non-reimbursed contraceptives which have "properties that were really good for PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome] or depressive symptoms, et cetera”.

Although, the struggle to access the best-suited contraceptive for many women is revealed, as none of these pills were reimbursed previously.

Despite broadened access to a variety of contraceptives through the PBS, Davies said that many women continue to suffer from lack of access for various reasons.

“There’s different access according to cultural norms, and different factors associated with contraceptive youth. There’s socioeconomic factors, there’s education factors, there’s cultural factors, even being rural.”

Dr Jacqueline Coombe is a Senior Research Fellow at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health.

“Understanding the complexity of [IUD insertion] is where my research focuses. I’m really interested in the pain side, and what we can do about some better guidelines about the options and making experiences better for people coming, and talking to them better about what it will be like,” Coombe said.

“Accessing a healthcare provider can be challenging in regional areas, even in Metropolitan areas.”

Having contraceptive options “makes a huge difference in people’s lives”, she said.

“It can be really challenging finding appropriate healthcare provided [fit for] you.” 

Dr Coombe recommended the website, 1800myoptions, and said that it provides free and confidential pro-choice information around abortion and IUD Implanon provisions. 

Not all healthcare providers are listed on the website, Coombe said, but it remains “a good resource.”

Recent developments in the trialling of male contraceptives have raised questions about the burden of responsibility in contraception. 

“Imagine how effective it would be if you had a female partner who had an IUD and a male partner was taking a male contraception, there’s very little space for unintended pregnancies there,” Dr Coombe said.

She also noted that contraceptives are used for much more than preventing pregnancies.

“There is a huge space to talk more about uses of contraception beyond pregnancy prevention and not just about individual contraceptive methods,” she said.

She encourages anyone concerned or looking for more information about their contraceptive health, to speak to a trusted GP they are comfortable with.

Find resources available at Monash Health, or book an appointment with your Monash campus GP.