Summary of UKMEC risk categories for use of contraception

The College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH) Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (UKMEC) guidelines  (table below) can be used to guide risk profile when choosing contraception (CoSRH, 2025).

Some hormone contraceptives can also be used as medical management to reduce risk of anaemia in AUB and therefore UKMEC guidelines may be helpful in determining risk profile with use of these medications, although not created for this purpose.

A summary of these considerations can be found in First line treatment options to reduce risk of anaemia in patients with AUB and heart disease whilst awaiting further investigations.

For each of the personal characteristics or medical conditions considered by the UKMEC a Category 1, 2, 3 or 4 is given, defined in the table below:

UKMEC	Definition of Category
1	A condition for which there is no restriction for the use of the method
2	A condition where the advantages of using the method generally outweigh the theoretical or proven risks
3	A condition where the theoretical or proven risks usually outweigh the advantages of using the method. The provision of a method requires expert clinical judgement and/or referral to a specialist contraceptive provider, since use of the method is not usually recommended unless other more appropriate methods are not available or not acceptable
4	A condition which represents an unacceptable health risk if the method is used