Permanent Sterilisation to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception: Is a Paradigm Shift Necessary?

The concept of family planning originated as birth control in 1912 to control the size of the family and prevent unplanned pregnancies transformed to family welfare and later on expanded its horizons to reproductive and child health (RCH). A wide spectrum of choices both for male and female, temporary and permanent, have been developed and offered. Developed world having stabilised population faces problem with teenage and adolescent pregnancies. Developing nations are still struggling to stabilise population and traditionally depend on permanent female sterilisation as a major method of contraception. Lot of unmet need is seen in young recently married women, post-delivery, post-abortal states. Long-acting reversible contraception which includes intrauterine device, IUD, and implants has re-emerged strongly as a first choice of contraception for women of all ages including unmarried teenage pregnancies. They are highly efficient with failure rates equivalent or better than permanent methods, cost-effective, reversible, and have the potential to replace permanent sterilisation.