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Females with sickle cell disease now have a life expectancy that extends well into and beyond their reproductive years. Pregnancy and childbirth are accompanied by high morbidity and mortality in this population, rendering contraception a critical part of their health care.

We approached adult female patients of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania hematology clinic who were of reproductive age (ages 18–45) and carried a diagnosis of sickle cell disease. We evaluated contraceptive method uptake and method characteristic preferences, as well as other reproductive history, and compared contraceptive uptake rates to that from female respondent data from the National Survey of Family Growth (2017–2019).

Of 95 eligible patients, we completed surveys with 48 participants (response rate of 51%). Over half (n = 27, 56%) of participants were not currently using any form of …