Contraceptives - US - July 2015
Overview
 
What you need to know 
After years of focusing on protection benefits, contraceptive brands have shifted to promoting other sensorial benefits, helping to stabilize category growth. The market is driven largely by male condom sales; however, with the recent change in OTC availability of emergency contraceptives, sales improved for the female contraceptive segment as well as boosting the entire OTC contraceptive market. 

Definition 
For the purposes of this report, Mintel defines the OTC contraceptives market as follows: 

●	Male OTC contraceptives – condoms
●	Female OTC contraceptives – spermicides, emergency contraceptive (“morning after”) pill, female condoms
●	Personal lubricants

Other methods of contraception, such as sterilization (tubal ligation, vasectomy), prescription hormonal contraceptives (pill, patch, injection, implant, contraceptive ring), diaphragm, IUD, etc., may be discussed in this report, but are not included in the market size. The market size covers only purchased contraceptives, so products provided free, such as condoms given out at a healthcare clinic, are not included.