- Despite advances in women’s healthcare and the importance of contraceptives, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge access -

Access to women’s healthcare has grown more complex in the economic crisis and day-to-day disruption caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.¹ Yet, a new survey commissioned by Bayer underscores the importance of contraceptives in many aspects of women’s lives.²

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Insights into the role birth control plays in women's lives. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Released today to mark the 15^th anniversary of World Contraception Day, the new survey results show the majority of women who use birth control agree contraceptives help them feel in control of their lives (90 percent) and health decisions (87 percent), as well as have the freedom to explore their passions (82 percent).² Additionally, 78 percent of women who use birth control say it has a positive impact on their peace of mind, with 73 percent saying it is even more important to their peace of mind in times of uncertainty.²

“These survey results underscore the role of contraceptives in women’s lives. Yet, there remains a 45 percent unplanned pregnancy rate in this country³, pointing toward a greater need for education on contraception options and access to reproductive healthcare – challenges that have grown more complex in the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Yesmean Wahdan, MD, Vice President, U.S. Medical Affairs, Bayer Women’s Healthcare. “At Bayer, we believe education and access are critical in helping women define their lives on their own terms. We demonstrate our We’re For Her mission by providing education and access so all women have the opportunity to make powerful decisions about their families, their futures and their health.”

Additional survey results from Bayer include:

• The majority of women who use birth control agree that being educated about birth control is important in order to have meaningful conversations with healthcare professionals (82 percent) and knowing what questions to ask their providers (82 percent).²
• 88 percent of women agree it is important that women have access to a variety of birth control methods so they can choose one that makes the most sense for them.²
• Over half of women (53 percent) say they discuss family planning with a healthcare professional less than once per year or never.²
• More than 3 in 4 women report that cost and affordability have a significant impact on their decision about what method of birth control to use, if any. Nearly half of birth control users (47 percent) say that prior to starting birth control, they anticipated it would be a financial burden for them. However, most (58 percent) say that paying for birth control has not been a financial burden for them.²

The Bayer survey –which polled a national sample of 1,000 US women ages 18-45 - was released for the 15^th anniversary of World Contraception Day, a global movement to increase awareness of contraceptives and to enable women to have the tools, skills and knowledge to take control of their health and family planning.

Bayer’s We’re for Her Commitment

For over 60 years, Bayer has been committed to its mission of We’re for Her in all that we do. This mission is reflected every day in the initiatives that we drive, such as education and access to our product offerings, giving back to the communities we serve, and our investments in R&D to deliver new innovations and solutions.

Our commitment to We’re for Her includes supporting women to make powerful choices about their families, their futures and their health. We have remained dedicated to improving innovation in order to ensure women have options and information to meet their needs at all life stages from menarche through menopause – in normal and unprecedented times.

We continue to work hard to break down barriers to ensure that every woman can feel empowered and confident when it comes to her reproductive decisions and health. This means supporting every woman’s access to effective contraception regardless of their insurance coverage.

So even if you still have high out-of-pocket costs with your insurance, or if you don’t have insurance, there may be ways to get help paying for your birth control of choice.

To learn more, visit WereForHerAccess.com.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 4.9 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

¹ Power to Decide, COVID-19 and Its Toll on Reproductive Health https://powertodecide.org/news/covid-19-and-its-toll-reproductive-health

² This poll was conducted between July 29 – August 1, 2021 among a national sample of 1,000 US women, ages 18-45, excluding healthcare workers. The interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of US women, ages 18-45 based on age, educational attainment, race, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Results reported are from the top two categories of the survey.

³ Finer LB and Zolna MR, Declines in unintended pregnancy in the United States, 2008–2011, New England Journal of Medicine, 2016, 374(9):843–852, doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1506575. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmsa1506575

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