Most women who experience unintended pregnancies are either not using contraception or using a method that doesn’t work well for them. When patients can achieve their own goals of becoming pregnant only if and when they want to, they—and their families—can experience positive ripple effects throughout their lives.

In a recent survey, more than half of women said that contraceptive use is key to pursuing education, achieving their career goals and caring for their families. Studies show that unplanned pregnancy disproportionately affects poor and low-income women—which, along with other social determinants, can perpetuate negative health, economic and social outcomes. We believe that the lack of contraceptive access is a clear social justice and health equity issue for all individuals across the socioeconomic spectrum.

Every person should have access to the full range of contraceptive methods, so that they can become pregnant only if and when they want to. That happens when healthcare providers can:

• Ask all patients about their reproductive health goals and pregnancy intentions at each visit
• Offer all forms of available contraception to interested patients utilizing a shared decision-making model
• Implement a patient’s choice in a single visit

It requires that birth control and reproductive health are a regular, normal part of the healthcare conversations between every patient and their provider. Standard primary care for all should include convenient, timely access to contraception.

Upstream gives patients the power to make their own choices about contraceptive care. At Upstream, we are changing healthcare—and making sure that it lasts. Results from our early partners demonstrate that our work is sustainable: patients are able to choose from the full range of birth control options long after our work has concluded with individual health centers.