UK medical eligibility criteria
DGRefHelp - NHS Dumfries & Galloway
Some medical conditions are associated with increased health risks when certain contraceptive methods are used. The UK medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use (UKMEC) offer guidance on who can safely use contraceptive methods.
The UKMEC assigns personal characteristics and medical conditions to category 1, 2, 3, or 4, based on the safety of using different contraceptive methods with these characteristics/conditions. These categories are described in the table below:
| UKMEC | Definition of category |
| Category 1 | A condition for which there is no restriction for the use of the method |
| Category 2 | A condition where the advantages of using the method generally outweigh the theoretical or proven risks |
| Category 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 |
| Category 4 | A condition which represents an unacceptable health risk if the method is used |
The above table is reproduced under licence from FSRH.
Copyright Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare 2006 to 2016.
UK Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (UKMEC)