Free access to long acting, reversible forms of contraception among a group of predominantly young and poor women in St Louis, Missouri, substantially reduced unplanned pregnancies and slashed the rate of abortions, a study has found.

The Contraceptive CHOICE Project enrolled 9256 women in the St Louis area from 2007. The women were between the ages of 14 and 45 and were mostly young and poor. The study educated them about the full range of contraceptive options and provided whichever one they preferred. Participants were followed for three years.

The study, published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, said …