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

At a glance

  • This page provides a brief overview of the 2024 U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (U.S. MEC).
  • The U.S. MEC provides recommendations health care providers can use when counseling patients on choosing a method of birth control.

Summary

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. The goals of these recommendations are to remove unnecessary medical barriers to accessing and using contraception and to support person-centered contraceptive counseling and services in a noncoercive manner. The information in this report replaces the 2016 U.S. MEC (CDC. U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 2016. MMWR 2016:65[No. RR-3]:1–103).

Resource‎

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

Notable updates include:

  • Recommendations for persons with chronic kidney disease
  • Revisions to the recommendations for persons with certain characteristics or medical conditions:
    • Breastfeeding
    • Postpartum
    • Postabortion
    • Obesity
    • Major surgery
    • Deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism with or without anticoagulant therapy
    • Thrombophilia
    • Superficial venous thrombosis
    • Valvular heart disease
    • Peripartum cardiomyopathy
    • Systemic lupus erythematosus
    • High risk for HIV infection
    • Cirrhosis
    • Liver tumor
    • Sickle cell disease
    • Solid organ transplantation
    • Drug interactions with antiretrovirals used for prevention or treatment of HIV infection
  • Inclusion of new contraceptive methods, including new doses or formulations of combined oral contraceptives, contraceptive patches, vaginal rings, progestin-only pills, levonorgestrel intrauterine devices, and vaginal pH modulator.

The recommendations in this report are intended to serve as a source of evidence-based clinical practice guidance for health care providers. Health care providers should always consider the individual clinical circumstances of each person seeking contraceptive services. This report is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice for individual patients; when needed, patients should seek advice from their health care providers about contraceptive use.

Resource‎

U.S. MEC Provider Tools
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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP); Division of Reproductive Health