CDC Contraceptive Guidance for Health Care Providers

At a glance

This page provides a brief overview of the 2024 U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (U.S. MEC), the 2024 U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (U.S. SPR), and links to the latest guidance documents.

U.S. MEC and U.S. SPR logos

CDC contraceptive guidance for health care providers

The goals of these recommendations are to remove unnecessary medical barriers to accessing and using contraception and to support providing person-centered contraceptive counseling and services in a noncoercive manner.

The 2024 U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (U.S. MEC)

The 2024 U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (U.S. MEC) comprises recommendations for the use of specific contraceptive methods by persons who have certain characteristics or medical conditions.

Keep Reading: U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 2024 (MEC)

The 2024 U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (U.S. SPR)

The 2024 U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (U.S. SPR) addresses a selected group of common, yet sometimes complex, issues regarding initiation and use of specific contraceptive methods.

Keep Reading: U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use, 2024 (U.S. SPR)

Resource‎

U.S. MEC and U.S. SPR Provider Tools

Additional resources

Providing Quality Family Planning Services in the United States: Recommendations of the U.S. Office of Population Affairs (Revised 2024)‎

These recommendations outline how to provide quality sexual and reproductive health services for people of reproductive age but can also be used to guide the care of people of any age when the content is relevant to their needs, including family-building services, contraception, pregnancy testing and counseling, early pregnancy management, sexually transmitted infections and human immunodeficiency virus prevention and testing services, and other preventive health services.
Learn more
Reproductive Health National Training Center (RHNTC)
Clinical Training Center for Sexual and Reproductive Health (CTC-SRH)
Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021
Treatment guidelines for sexually transmitted infections from CDC's Division of STD Prevention
Improving Access to Quality Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Teens
Project addressing sexual and reproductive health services essential to supporting teen health.
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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP); Division of Reproductive Health