In the 6 months after initiating a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC), young women were less likely to report condom use than after initiating a short-acting method; however, both groups increased their condom use similarly if they reported a new sexual partner. This according to a prospective cohort of women aged 13 to 24 years who completed questionnaires at the contraception initiation visit, and 6 months later. At follow-up, participants were asked if they had sexual intercourse with a new partner, if they had used condoms, if their condom use patterns had changed, and why. Researchers found:

• 1,048 women were included; 771 (73.6%) initiated LARC and 384 (36.6%) initiated SARC. At 6 months, 508 women (48.5%) completed the follow-up survey.
• ~23% of LARC initiators and 27% of SARC initiators reported a new partner.
• SARC initiators who had a new partner were more likely to report condom use at least 1 time than LARC initiators reporting a new partner (82.4% vs 59.6%; OR, 3.17).
• Such condom use was 42% higher among LARC initiators who reported a new sexual partner than those without, and 38% higher for SARC initiators.