Long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs), such as the coil and the contraceptive implant “bar”, should be at the centre of a “fully State-funded contraception scheme”, a leading women’s health advocate has said. There is no evidence that State-funded contraception reduces abortion rates in the general population.

Alison Begas, chief executive of the Dublin Well Woman Centre, said contraception should be available free of charge alongside access to free abortion services adding there was a “growing demand” for LARCs as the most effective forms of contraception. The increases are detailed in the centre’s 2018 annual report published on Tuesday.

“Cost, however, is a major barrier to women accessing LARCs,” she said.

While the contraceptive pill, which must be taken daily, costs about €7 a month plus a six-monthly doctor-consultation fee of about €50, the intra-uterine coil and the contraceptive bar cost about €300 and €260 respectively, including consultations and insertion.

The coil, inserted into the uterus, and the “bar”, inserted under the skin in the upper arm, provide almost 100 per cent protection for between three and 10 years after insertion.