Warning over high rates of unintended pregnancies among women using apps rather than contraception
The strategy, published today by the government, said that cycle-tracking apps claim to have a failure rate – which means an unintended pregnancy rate – of 7% in any given year.
'But there are international concerns following a significant proportion of related presentations to termination of pregnancy service clinicians in other jurisdictions,' the strategy says.
It said that unplanned pregnancy rates for 'natural family planning methods' have been estimated at between 24-25% in any given year, higher than condoms at 10-18%, or prescription contraception at 0.05-10%.
Unprotected sex will result in pregnancy for 86% of couples trying to conceive over the course of a single year, it said.
Cycle-tracking apps are typically used for women to log their menstrual cycle and receive a prediction of when their next period is due to come. Many of these apps will also encourage users to log their mood, sexual activity, and any hormonal symptoms in order to improve its measurements.
Based on this information, the apps will break down the user's cycle into a number of phases. Generally it will highlight when you are most and least fertile.
An example of one of these apps.
There has been a significant increase in the number of women using cycle-tracking apps in recent years.
For those trying to conceive, the apps' highlighting of potential phases in one's cycle where they may be more fertile is not a problem. However, there are now women who use the apps' predictions of when they are least fertile as a type of 'natural contraceptive' – basically, having sex unprotected or otherwise without a form of contraceptive during this time.
What else is in the National Sexual Health Strategy?
Department of Health
Department of Health
The strategy contains both its achievements so far and its plans for the years ahead. One big part of the scheme is the expansion of the Free Contraceptive Scheme, which was initially introduced in September 2022 for girls and women aged between 17 and 25.
It was then expanded to include those up to age 35 for whom prescription contraception is deemed clinically suitable. Now, it has committed to steadily increasing the age at which women can avail of free contraception until they reach 55 years old.
Advertisement
It is also considering potentially including 16-year-olds in the scheme, who may require access to contraceptives for treatment of menstrual disorders. Sixteen year olds can medically consent to access contraceptives, but not legally consent to sexual activity, it noted, making this a slightly tricky area.
It said that it would scope and develop necessary legislative frameworks to provide for this.
Speaking on the matter, Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she did not think that changing the legal age of consent for sexual activity would happen, but that she would take a health-led approach when it came to contraception.
'There is a difficulty there, because the the age of consent is 17. But I recognise that young people need to be protected from a public health perspective.
'I would take a public health approach to that first and foremost, but I recognise that those ages are there for very important reasons from the Department of Justice perspective,' said the minister.
'I still think the justice approach about making sure that there is an age of consent to protect vulnerable girls, and you know, we have those those ages for very good reasons around predatory behavior, there's a lot of different very good reasons for that,' she said.
When pushed on whether the legal age of consent set down in legislation might be lowered, the minister said she did not believe that would be reopened.
Separately, it would scope out the potential of improving access to the minority of people who opt for sterilisation.
The strategy also committed to expanding the remit of the MyOptions helpline service that currently deals with women who have unplanned pregnancies to also be available to people struggling with recurrent miscarriage, unsuccessful fertility treatment, and complex menopause.
It also wants to expand its unit currently responsible for the surveillance of HIV and STIs to include outbreak and case management.
The Social Democrats' Health spokesperson, Padraig Rice, said that while the 'long overdue' publication of the strategy is welcome, it contains gaps that must be addressed.
He criticised that commitments within the strategy were not matched by funding commitments and had no timelines for delivery.
'Instead, we got vague commitments to 'strive towards', 'explore' and 'widen access',' he said.
'In 2025, we still have 10 counties with no public sexual health clinics – Cavan, Kildare, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon and Wicklow. And this strategy is the best the Minister could do?'
He noted that the strategy contained only 'passing mentions' to transgender people, saying that a new healthcare model for transgender people is 'desperately needed'.
The full strategy is available to view
here
.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Inquiry begins into historical use of anti-epileptic drug and effects on pregnant women
The historical licensing and use of the anti-epileptic drug sodium valproate for women of childbearing age will be examined as part of an inquiry that started its work on Tuesday. Mothers of children diagnosed with foetal valproate spectrum disorder (FVSD) have long called for a public inquiry to investigate why they were not warned about the risks of taking the drug while pregnant . FVSD is caused by exposure in the womb to valproic acid, which is the key ingredient in sodium valproate, better known in Ireland as Epilim. An Irish Medical Journal study published in 2021 said diagnosing the condition was 'difficult' due to the lack of any specific diagnostic test or biomarker. READ MORE However, it said dysmorphic facial features, neural tube defects, congenital heart disease and cleft lip were among the most commonly associated characteristics. The study noted that Irish public health data suggested 3,126 babies were potentially exposed to sodium valproate before birth between 1975 and 2015. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the inquiry would give people directly affected by sodium valproate an 'opportunity to have their voices heard'. She welcomed the commencement of the inquiry, which was announced last year by her predecessor, Stephen Donnelly. She said she recently met the Organisation Anticonvulsant Syndromes Ireland (OACS Ireland), a campaign group dedicated to supporting and advocating for families affected by foetal anticonvulsant syndrome. 'I know this is an important day for them and the families they represent,' Ms Carroll MacNeill said. 'I have every confidence that the chair will conduct an independent and fair inquiry and finally get answers for those affected and their families.' The inquiry, involving three distinct phases, is chaired by barrister Bríd O'Flaherty. The Department of Health said it envisaged she would spend 12 to 18 months conducting an 'independent, fair and rigorous process'. The first phase will establish a timeline for the use of sodium valproate in women of childbearing potential in the State, including information on regulation, prescribing, dispensing and safety information issued. The inquiry will document the evolution of the drug's regulation and practices around its control. The second phase will focus on oral statements from people diagnosed with FVSD, their mothers and other family members. The final strand will assess the health service's capacity to respond to safety issues related to the use of anti-seizure medications in women of child-bearing potential.
The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
'The real work starts now': Long-awaited inquiry into drug that causes birth defects begins
A LONG-AWAITED inquiry into an antiepileptic drug that can cause serious birth defects if used during pregnancy has finally gotten underway, nearly five years after the Government committed to holding one. The non-statutory inquiry into the historical licensing and use of sodium valproate will have three strands, with statements from those affected by the drug expected to be taken from September. Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has welcomed the commencement, saying that it 'will give those directly affected by sodium valproate an opportunity to have their voices heard'. The inquiry was approved by Cabinet in July 2023 , almost three years after the then-health minister Stephen Donnelly committed to holding a probe into the drug. Barrister and mediator Bríd Flaherty was announced as the chairperson of the non-statutory inquiry in June 2024, with Donnelly saying at the time that he intended to get it up and running ' in a matter of weeks ', but this did not take place. The delay in the commencement of the inquiry is understood to have been due to the fact that the data regulations had yet to be finalised. Sodium valproate can cause serious birth defects and developmental disorders to an infant if taken during pregnancy and women have been advised against using it unless no other treatment is possible. The drug was prescribed in Ireland and elsewhere for years after the danger was discovered and many countries are now investigating its use. Today, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) states that the drug can cause birth defects and problems with the development and learning of the child if their mother takes it during pregnancy. Advertisement Children exposed to the drug while in the womb are at a high risk of serious developmental disorders (in up to 30-40% of cases) and congenital malformations (in approximately 10% of cases). Symptoms of fetal valproate syndrome (FVS) vary, but can include characteristic facial features, spina bifida, congenital heart defects, cleft lip and/or cleft palate, genital abnormalities, skeletal abnormalities and developmental delay. The drug's risk to infants has been made public in recent years, but campaigners in the UK found documents in the National Archives that indicated health regulators were aware of the risk as far back as 1973 but chose not to warn patients, saying it 'could give rise to fruitless anxiety'. A HSE report published in 2018 estimated that 1,250 children have been affected by valproate since 1975 in Ireland. In 2021, an investigation by The Journal Investigates found that around 3,000 Irish children were potentially harmed by exposure to the drug in the womb. Read The Journal Investigates's investigation into the valproate scandal . Last January, doctors began informing men of the potential risks that taking sodium valproate can have on their future children before prescribing it to them following precautionary measures recommended by the European Medicines Agency. Inquiry The Department of Health said the inquiry will have three strands. The first strand will be the review phase, which will establish a timeline for the use of sodium valproate in Ireland 'in women of childbearing potential including information on regulation, prescribing, dispensing and safety information issued'. The inquiry will seek to document the evolution of the regulation of the drug and the practices around the control of it. The Department said the inquiry 'will have responsibility to request documentation and submissions from a range of stakeholders', and the chair will record 'difficulties encountered where such requests are refused as part of their reporting function'. The second strand of the inquiry will seek oral statements from anyone impacted by the use of the drug, including people diagnosed with Foetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder (FVSD), their mothers and other family members who may wish to participate. This is anticipated to begin in September. Anyone who wishes to take part in this strand of the inquiry can register their interest on its website . These sessions will be held in private, and other stakeholders may also be invited to provide oral statements in separate sessions. Related Reads Chairperson appointed to probe into drug that causes birth defects after almost a year's delay Six months on, chairperson yet to be appointed to inquiry into drug that causes birth defects Doctors to inform men taking sodium valproate of risks to unborn children The third strand will focus on assessing the health service's current capacity to respond to safety issues 'related to use of anti-seizure medications (ASMs) in women of childbearing potential'. This will involve an assessment of the current systems in place to respond, disseminate and implement measures that address these potential safety issues, the development of other recommendations regarding current control systems for sodium valproate and other ASMs, and the services and supports for those impacted by sodium valproate. The Department said the results of this assessment will inform future service development. A communications campaign will be launched in the coming weeks to raise public awareness and support engagement with the inquiry. 'The real work starts now' Last month, when the inquiry had yet to commence, the Organisation for Anticonvulsant Syndromes (OACS) Ireland group, which supports families that have been impacted by the drug, told The Journal that it was seeking a meeting with the Minister for Health to discuss the status of the inquiry. Today, Carroll MacNeill said she was 'grateful' to meet with OACS Ireland recently 'and I know this is an important day for them and the families they represent'. 'I have every confidence that the Chair will conduct an independent and fair Inquiry and finally get answers for those affected and their families,' she said. In a statement, chair of OACS Ireland Karen Keely, whose three adult sons have been affected by exposure to sodium valproate, said: 'The real work starts now. 'The Inquiry will draw a spotlight on a public health issue which, whilst life-changing, is perhaps not as well known or understood by the public as other public health issues,' Keely said. Solicitor Ciara McPhillips, who represents OACS Ireland within the inquiry process, said: 'Together with OACS, I look forward to working with all stakeholders under the stewardship of the Chair to ensure those affected understand how it arose that women and mothers were prescribed a medication, which whilst very effective in preventing seizures, was so devastatingly detrimental to their children – many of whom will never live independent lives.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Inquiry begins into prescribing of anti-epilepsy drug
An inquiry has begun into the historical prescribing of an anti-epilepsy drug which can cause birth defects if used during pregnancy. The non-statutory inquiry into the use of sodium valproate, sold under the brand name Epilim, is scheduled to last between 12 and 18 months. It is estimated over 1,000 children have been impacted in Ireland since the 1970s. The inquiry, which will be chaired by barrister Bríd O'Flaherty, will be divided into a number of strands. The first will be the review phase, which will establish a timeline of the use of the drug including information on safety and regulation. The Department of Health said the inquiry will have responsibility to request documentation from a range of stakeholders and will be obliged to record any difficulties where such requests are refused. The second phase will be made up of oral statements from affected families. These sessions will be held in private. Other phases will focus on assessing the health services' current capacity to respond to safety issues related to the use of anti-seizure medications in women. The department said necessary data regulations were passed last week in the Dáil and Seanad. Families have been campaigning for years for an inquiry to be held and have welcomed the fact that it began today. The department has previously said sodium valproate is an effective medication for some and those taking it should not make any changes to treatment without first discussing it with their doctor. The department has also previously said while sodium valproate is an effective and essential treatment for some patients, it can cause birth defects, neurodevelopmental disorders and autism in children whose mothers take such medicines during pregnancy.
