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# Contraception counselling: the methods, eligibility in general terms, LARC and after birth or abortion

- Safe practice

The nurse explains every eligible method without leaving any out, helps the person choose freely and gives the chosen method before birth or abortion discharge.

Updated Nov 13, 2026

## Key points

- Inform about all eligible methods, without leaving any out, with emphasis on long-acting reversible methods (implant and IUD).
- Most effective: implants, IUDs and sterilisation. Pills, injections, patches and rings work well when used correctly. Condoms are the only method that also protects against STIs, HIV included.
- WHO eligibility categories 1 to 4: from no restriction (1) to unacceptable risk (4).
- After a birth or an abortion: counselling and the chosen method before discharge (Res. 3280: before 48 hours postpartum or post-abortion).
- Under-18s may consent to a method without their parents; a girl under 14 who is sexually active also activates the sexual violence route.

## What it is

Contraception counselling is a private conversation in which the health worker helps a person or couple make a free, informed choice of method. In Colombia, professional nurses give this care and may order and provide methods (Resolución 3280 de 2018) and insert and remove long-acting methods (Resolución 051 de 2023). Safety rests on the WHO medical eligibility criteria, which sort each health condition into four categories. The method is offered before discharge after a birth or an abortion.

## What it requires

- Privacy, warmth and plain language; no authoritarian, paternalistic or judging attitude.
- Adolescents may come alone or with a companion of their choice.
- Information on each method: how it works, effectiveness, duration, how to use it, side effects, benefits and myths.
- Modern contraceptive methods do not cause infertility (WHO).

## Components

- Hormonal methods: combined (pill, injection, patch, ring) and progestogen-only (implant, injection, pill, hormonal IUD).
- Non-hormonal methods: copper IUD, male and female condoms, diaphragm, lactational amenorrhoea, fertility awareness and withdrawal.
- Permanent methods: female sterilisation and vasectomy.
- Emergency contraception: pills or a copper IUD, within 5 days of unprotected sex; it works better the sooner it is used.

## How it is applied (and why)

- Offer a private space and frame the visit as a right: deciding whether, when and how many children — the choice belongs to the person.
- Ask about pregnancy plans, what she expects from a method and methods used before — the advice fits her needs.
- Take the medical, gynaecological, obstetric and family history — it feeds the eligibility check.
- Present all eligible methods with their effectiveness and side effects, and clear up myths — leaving one out limits a free choice.
- Check eligibility with the current WHO criteria and the institutional protocol — some conditions make a method unsafe.
- Support her choice and give the method in the same visit when possible — each extra visit is a chance to lose her.
- Teach use, warning signs, follow-up visits and dual protection with condoms — correct use gives the effectiveness, condoms add STI protection.
- Record the method, the counselling and the next visit — the control visit checks satisfaction and side effects.

## In nursing practice

- After a birth: the woman leaves with the method she chose, or with a plan to start it; breastfeeding changes which methods and when, by eligibility criteria.
- After an abortion: any method can start immediately, after checking restrictions; an IUD is not placed after a septic abortion.
- Long-acting methods: tell her how to have it removed and that fertility returns when she wishes.
- Choosing no method is respected, and after an abortion it never becomes a barrier to care.

## Common mistakes

- Recommending one method before listening to her needs.
- Leaving the long-acting methods out of the conversation.
- Asking for parental authorisation for an adolescent's method.
- Forgetting to teach dual protection with condoms.
- Sending a woman home after a birth or abortion without counselling or a method she chose.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which methods does WHO list as highly effective and long-lasting?

Implants, intrauterine devices and sterilisation.

## Which contraceptive method also protects against STIs?

Condoms are the only method that also protects against sexually transmitted infections, HIV included.

## What do WHO eligibility category 1 and category 4 mean?

Category 1: no restriction on using the method. Category 4: the condition carries an unacceptable health risk if the method is used.

## Within what time can emergency contraception be used?

Within 5 days of unprotected sex, by pill or copper IUD; it works better the sooner it is used.

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## Connections

## Related 3

- [Postpartum discharge: self-care, warning signs, contraception and the follow-up visit](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/postpartum-discharge-self-care-warning-signs-contraception-and-the-follow-up-vis/)
- [Abortion care in Colombia from the nursing side: rights and routes, care during and after, and post-abortion contraception](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/abortion-care-in-colombia-from-the-nursing-side-rights-and-routes-care-during-an/)
- [Youth-friendly health services for adolescents and young people](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/youth-friendly-health-services-for-adolescents-and-young-people/)

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Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order.

Sources: [Resolución 3280 de 2018: Ruta Integral de Atención para la Promoción y Mantenimiento de la Salud (section 13, family planning and contraception)](https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/DE/DIJ/resolucion-3280-de-2018.pdf) (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia, 2018); [Family planning/contraception methods (fact sheet)](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/family-planning-contraception) (World Health Organization, 2025); [About contraception: methods and effectiveness](https://www.cdc.gov/contraception/about/index.html) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024); [Resolución 51 de 2023 (compiled text): IVE care and post-abortion contraception](https://normograma.supersalud.gov.co/compilacion/docs/resolucion_minsaludps_0051_2023.htm) (Superintendencia Nacional de Salud, Compilación Jurídica, 2023).

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/contraception-counselling-the-methods-eligibility-in-general-terms-larc-and-afte/