A new report from Statistics Canada, Oral contraceptive use in Canada, is intended to provide a representative estimate of oral contraceptive (OC) use in Canada in the decade leading up to the implementation of the Pharmacare Act.

Spanning the 12 years prior to the policy change where many forms of prescription contraception are or will be made free in Canada, they say “a detailed understanding of OC use by sociodemographic and other characteristics before this policy change will be important baseline information to facilitate future surveillance.” 

Legally available in Canada since 1969, OCs are also the most common method of reversible contraception in Canada and among the most commonly used medications by reproductive-aged women in Canada. “Detailed data about current and lifetime OC use in Canada are rarely available,” they write.

An average of 15.9 per cent of non-pregnant women aged 15 to 49 have used OCs in the past 30 days, they state. Most, 98.6 per cent used OCs containing estrogen and progestin, while 48.7 per cent took lower-dose formulations containing ethinylestradiol.

Those between 15 and 39 were more likely to have used OCs in the previous 30 days than those between 40 and 49. “Another 53.9 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 reported former use. A majority of both current (67.5 per cent) and former (52.8 per cent) OC users reported having used them for at least four years.” 

For women who have not had children, and for those born in Canada, the use of OCs was more prevalent than for women who have had children and for immigrants. Use of OCs was not associated with whether a women had a regular medical doctor or with household income.

Among current users between 15 and 34, 18 per cent reported use of OCs for less than two years, 23.8 per cent used OCs for two to four years and the remaining 58.2 per cent reported having used OCs for four years or more. Among current users between the ages of 35 and 49, 95.2 per cent reported OC use for at least four years.

They add: “Given the enactment of the first phase of the national universal pharmacare program in October 2024, which provides insurance coverage for contraceptives, these estimates will provide important benchmarking information on OC use in Canada, allowing for future evaluations of the impact of this national medication coverage policy change.”