Residential care centers for persons with intellectual disability in Israel: Trends in contraception methods 1999-2009

In the past more than 100 years we have seen a controversial history around the menstrual and contraceptive management of females with intellectual disability in residential care settings. The present study was conducted in order to look at the trends of contraception methods for females with intellectual disability in residential care centers in Israel. Method: Since 1998 an annual survey of all medical clinics in residentiail care centers in Israel has been conducted by the Office of the Medical Director of the Ministry of Social Affairs and data was extracted from the national surveys during 1999-2009. Results: Over the 1999-2009 period 11-16% of females in residential care centers in Israel used oral or injection contraceptives. Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) was the most used method due to convenience and effectiveness. Conclusions: We would like to see a more detailed study of contraceptive methods conducted in Israel to get a more clear picture, since the data collected from annual surveys only give a rudimentary picture of the actual situation in the field.