Join the ‘Contraception Project’ Team, part of the NIHR UCL Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health

Background information

The Contraception Project is part of the work of the new National Institute of Health & Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health, a £3 million research investment over 3 years from January 2024. The purpose of the Unit is to produce high-quality research evidence to inform policy about health, care, and public health systems for reproductive health. The Unit works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and other government departments. As a team they strive to improve the support and care provided to communities, and individuals' experiences, of reproductive health.

Co-Production Collective is supporting the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health, and the Contraception Project, to work in a co-produced way (a mixed group of people with lived and learnt experience working together in equal partnership for equal benefit) which is why we are posting this blog.

By reproductive health we mean the physical, mental and social well-being relating to the reproductive system, including a safe and satisfying sex life and reproductive rights (for example, issues relating to menstruation / periods, menopause, contraception and abortion, fertility, etc.).

About the Contraception Project

Data suggests that the number of people using all types of contraception has reduced over the last 10 years, and particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Contraception and hormonal medications can offer benefits in being able to protect from pregnancy and manage symptoms like heavy bleeding or painful periods that come with some gynaecological conditions, such as endometriosis. However, users also report drawbacks from negative side-effect experiences that can impact their wider lives.

To understand what might be driving these declining trends and current priorities for individuals making contraceptive decisions, the Unit is researching attitudes towards and experiences of contraception of women and people assigned female at birth in the UK. We are interested in how these attitudes and experiences may impact women’s decision-making about using or not using any method of contraception and how individuals balance competing preferences and priorities in their decisions. In addition to this, the Unit is also researching whether online health information and content about contraception (through social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok) influences attitudes towards contraception and women’s decision-making about methods, use, or non-use.

This project is running from February 2025 to September 2026, and will include a review of existing evidence, a statistical analysis of existing survey data, and collection of data from social media sources and interview discussions.

You can find more information about the project on our website here.

About the role

The Contraception Project team are looking for 4 people with lived experience in relation to reproductive health and contraception to join our team and co-produce the project. You will work alongside Reproductive Health Policy Research Unit team members and other lived experience team members across the full duration of the project, as well as our Stakeholder Group (a selection of lived and learnt experience members advising on the project). We hope to recruit:

• Two members who have or have had experience of using (or deciding not to use) contraception primarily to prevent pregnancy
• Two members who have or have had experience using (or not deciding not to use) contraception or hormonal treatment to manage gynaecological symptoms, such as heavy menstrual bleeding.

Within the group we hope to include a variety of attitudes towards hormonal and non-hormonal contraceptive methods regarding preferences, priorities, and values. Ideally, we hope to recruit individuals who are passionate about understanding how attitudes and experiences can influence decision-making about contraception. Additionally, we are particularly interested in how contraceptive attitudes form and how decisions are made among young people and hope to bring in their experiences in the team members we recruit.

As a team member, your input to this project will help shape our research design based on gaps identified in the first stages of the project, interpret findings at each stage, and develop recommendations for policy makers. As your capacity allows and the needs of the project require, there may be additional opportunities to get involved with project activities themselves, such as extracting information from academic papers, reading interview transcripts, or engaging with project interviewees.

Responsibilities include:

• Being part of the team developing the project work and analysing findings.
• Sharing your knowledge and experience to help shape the direction of the project.
• Attending monthly meetings with the Unit to hear regular project updates, help interpret findings as progress is made, and guide priorities for future decisions.
• Attending quarterly Stakeholder Group meetings to bring lived experience and experience of the project to our wider stakeholder discussions.
• When and where appropriate opportunities arise, be involved in the research itself.

What is the time commitment?

This project is running from February 2025 to September 2026, so ideally individuals will have the desire and capacity to contribute over this period. You will receive monthly project updates via email and meet at key junctures to help interpret results and guide next steps.

Time commitment will vary over the course of the project, from 1-2 hours some months to 8-10 others. Commitments included in this are:

• Online team meeting (1.5 hours per month)

Each month the full project team will meet for 1 hour to discuss the project. This would involve 30 minutes preparation time prior.

This meeting currently takes place at 3pm on the third Tuesday of every month and we would hope to have you join us at these meetings from Tuesday 15th April at 3pm (we are open to altering the time of this meeting in line with group availability).

• Online Stakeholder Group meeting (2.5 hours at 3-4 key points)

At 3-4 key points in the project, the team and our lived experience members will meet with our wider Stakeholder Group for two hours. This would involve 30 minutes preparation time prior.

These meetings are preliminarily scheduled for May 2025, July 2025, December 2025 and May 2026.

• Possible research activity (5-10 hours per month, once/twice in duration of project)

At some points in the project, there may be opportunities to get more involved in the research activity itself. This may involve increased time commitment, such as a 1 hour biweekly meeting with the Unit on research specific tasks with 30 minutes preparation time, ad-hoc 1-2 hour training, guidance or support when relevant, and 3-5 hours a month assisting with research tasks. The project team carrying out day to day work currently meet every other Tuesday at 10am.

About you

To reflect the focus of this study, we are looking for individuals who:

• Were assigned female at birth
• Currently live in the UK
• Individuals aged 18-35

We encourage applications from people who identify with the below characteristics, so if you identify with one or more of the following, please include this information in your application:

• Individuals from racially minoritised communities
• Individuals with living or lived experience of using or deciding not to use contraception in relation to pregnancy prevention.
• Individuals with living or lived experience of managing gynaecological conditions (e.g. endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, heavy menstrual bleeding or pain, etc.) with contraception or other hormonal medications.
• Individuals with experience of side effects from contraception or hormonal medication (whether positive or negative).
• Individuals who can contribute to a group with differing opinions on contraception and hormonal medication.
• Individuals who have experience engaging with (and/or creating) social media content about contraception and gynaecological treatments.

You don’t need to have extensive knowledge of or experience of working with data or research, as training when needed will be provided. In order to allow for contributions from a wide range of individuals to the unit, we ask that you not apply if you are already involved in a different project for the Reproductive Health Policy Research Unit or if you are part of the independent advisory group.

What we offer

Joining our team as a co-producer has the following benefits:

1. Remuneration (£25 per hour) for meetings, preparation and research task involvement*. We can also offer to cover the following costs if agreed in advance:

• Travel (if meetings are in person)
• £5 per 2-hour meeting to cover internet costs
• Carer and childcare costs
• Other access requirements

2. Optional authorship and/or acknowledgment within project reports and publications to which you contributed (if this is of interest).  

3. Guidance, support and training on applicable aspects of research if assisting with research tasks or activity.

You will also be supported by Co-Production Collective staff members (in advance and during meetings), to ensure that everyone can participate fully in the meetings.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore actively encourage applications from global majority candidates who are underrepresented in our community and at UCL, including but not exclusive to non-graduates; disabled, D/deaf and neurodivergent people; LGBTQ+ people; and people from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities. We also welcome applicants from a range of educational backgrounds and therefore do not require a minimum formal qualification for this role.

Further details and how to express an interest

To express your interest, please complete our online expression of interest form by 12noon (UK time) on Monday 31 March 2025 letting us know.

If you have any questions email coproduction@ucl.ac.uk.

This form has a range of tick box questions and free text answers so we can understand more about your attitudes, experiences and why you think you would be a good fit for the role. There are no wrong answers; the form is designed to help us recruit a group with varied opinions.

We will be in touch as soon as possible after the 31 March 2025 deadline. If you need assistance submitting your application, or have any queries about the role, please contact us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk

* This rate is different to that of the updated Co-Production Collective Payment Policy 2024 as it is the rate that was applied for when funding application budgets were submitted.

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