Although IUDs are very effective and have been proven safe in women and adolescents, they only are chosen by 5.5 percent of women in the United States who use contraception.

In the coming weeks and months, medical professionals in Connecticut expect an increased number of women will seek out long-lasting, reversible forms of birth control such as intrauterine devices, or IUDs.

The recent Supreme Court decision overruling Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed the federal right to abortion for nearly 50 years, has set off concerns that contraceptives could be next.

In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said the Supreme Court “should reconsider” its past rulings codifying rights to same-sex marriage and contraception access— a fear for many even before the high court released its official ruling on abortion.

“I'm sure in our offices we will have a huge influx of patients coming in for IUDs, many what we call Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives, or LARCs, in addition to the more common birth control pills,” Dr. Carol Fucigna, interim chair of the Department of OB/GYN at Stamford Health, said earlier this week during a visit by Gov. Ned Lamont to the hospital complex.

Health officials and others need to think about how to expand access to contraception in light of the decision, Fucigna said. The new state budget, which goes into effect July 1, includes $2 million for federally qualified health centers, whose clients tend to be lower-income and underserved, to purchase for long-lasting contraceptives.

A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Southern New England said it’s too early to tell if there’s been an increase in IUD or contraceptive appointments at its health clinics in Connecticut or Rhode Island, but the organization is anticipating that.

Chatter on social media and internet search data indicate many women in the U.S. are thinking about long-term birth control. In the last seven days, the top searches on Google tied to reproductive health include questions such as “Does Roe vs. Wade affect birth control?” and “Are contraceptives banned?” Searches for “long-lasting IUD” are up 4,960 percent in the past week.

Data from Planned Parenthood shows notable upticks in appointments for long-acting birth control over the years in response to both expanded access and the political climate.

The election of former President Donald Trump prompted a rush of women to get long-term birth control due to concerns it would become more difficult to access if the administration repealed the Affordable Care Act, which requires most insurers to cover many birth control methods at no cost. Many also feared Trump would appoint more conservative justices who could put rights to abortion and access to contraceptives in jeopardy.

“When President Trump was elected, and the fear started that this might happen, we saw a big increase in patients coming in for IUDs, and long-term, reversible contraception, and I think we're going to see even more of that now,” Fucigna, of Stamford Health, said.

In 2017, when the Trump administration took office, Planned Parenthood provided 7,315 long-acting contraceptives to patients in Connecticut and Rhode Island compared to 6,399 the year before.

After the Affordable Care Act rules on birth control went into effect in January 2014, Planned Parenthood saw a similar uptick. That year, 5,313 IUDs and implant devices, among other long-term contraceptives, were provided compared to 4,832 the year before.

Julia covers Connecticut politics for Hearst, including how public policy decisions affect the lives of residents here. She previously reported on the military for The Day newspaper in New London. A native of Philadelphia, Julia now calls Connecticut home, but won't give up her 215 area code.