Reducing unplanned pregnancy for young women with a sex positive approach

Each day leading up to Giving Tuesday on November 27th, we will feature one case study showcasing our member companies’ social impact work. View the list to date here.

Power to Decide + IDEO

What was our intention?
The world of pregnancy prevention has always been a bit tough to navigate—overly formal, medical, and focused on what health organizations want (get women on birth control) not what women want (better sex and better relationships).Instead, we wanted to meet young women where they are to provide a useful service that would be welcome and relevant in their lives over the long haul.

What did we do?
We designed a site and system to help young women (not teens) get on and stay on birth control until they decide they want to get pregnant. The system supports them at every step of the journey, and is driven by a brand that people actually want to associate with.

How did this drive impact?
Among women age 18 to 29 who participated in the yearlong randomized controlled trial: Women in the Bedsider group were 1.51 times less likely to have a pregnancy scare than those in the control group. 2.54 times less likely to have unprotected sex. 3.79 times less likely to report an unplanned pregnancy. And more likely to use a more effective method of contraception.

What do we aspire to do next?
Continue working with the client organization (The Power to Decide) to bring human-centered design to reproductive health. We’re currently collaborating with them on a program that supports design thinking amongst grantees doing innovative work in the space.

Want to learn more? Contact:
Debbe Stern
debbe@debbestern.com

Image courtesy of IDEO