A fan of the hormonal contraceptive injection but struggle to find time to make it to your GP for top-ups? Well, the news that Pfizer have now acquired a licence to sell the injection for at-home administration might be music to your ears.
The injection, called 'Sayana Press', could previously only be administered by doctors and trained healthcare professionals. But now, once you've seen a healthcare professional for training on how to use the injection, you will be allowed to inject Sayana yourself at home. Each jab provides contraception for at least 13 weeks and you will still be called in for yearly check-ups.
Seema Patel, a medical director at Pfizer, said: “When it comes to contraception, women may require different options that suit them at different times in their lives.
“We appreciate that many women are very busy and that visiting their healthcare professional regularly to pick up their contraception can be a challenge.
“With around 5 million women in the UK choosing a hormonal contraceptive, self-injectable Sayana Press could offer an alternative to women who are short on time yet still want to take control of their family planning.”
It's worth noting that the hormonal injection, which works by steadily releasing the hormone progestogen into your bloodstream, doesn't offer protection from sexually transmitted infections. And it certainly won't appeal to needle-phobes...