Bayer and HealthyWomen Launch Family Size Matters to Help Raise Awareness of Family Planning for Women Who are Done Having Children

WHIPPANY, N.J., June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare and HealthyWomen today launch the Family Size Matters initiative to help educate women who are done, or think they may be done, having children about their family planning, including permanent birth control. The initiative provides resources and information to help women learn more about this stage of their lives. Family Size Matters is launched in partnership with Bayer, HealthyWomen - a leading health information resource for women - and Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, MD a board certified OB/GYN.

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As part of the Family Size Matters program, Bayer HealthCare surveyed 1,000 women in the U.S. ages 25 – 45 who are in committed relationships, are done having children, and are not using permanent birth control. Alarmingly, 35 percent of all the women surveyed reported having a pregnancy scare after deciding they were done having children. And of the 900 women surveyed who are using some form of birth control, 66 percent are still using the same birth control they used prior to their most recent pregnancy.

"Different birth control methods work well for women in different stages of their reproductive lives. For example, birth control pills might be right for you when you are starting your family, and permanent contraception might be the right option for many patients who are done having children," says Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, MD. "That's why it's so important that women are educated about all their options and discuss them with their partners and doctors, to arrive at an informed decision that works best for them."

The Bayer survey* results indicate that there may be a need for better education about birth control options for women who are done having children. Three out of four of the 900 women surveyed who are done having children and are using temporary forms of birth control stated that they would be interested in learning about permanent birth control from their doctors.

"As a leading health information resource for women, we are thrilled to be partnering with Bayer HealthCare on this initiative, to ensure our readers and women everywhere have access to resources and information on various birth control options and understand the importance of speaking with their healthcare provider about those options," said Beth Battaglino, RN, president and CEO of HealthyWomen. "I encourage women to visit the program website – www.familysizematters.com for more information and resources, including an online quiz and tips to help in discussions with a woman's partner and healthcare provider.

*About the Bayer Healthcare Survey
In April 2014, Bayer Healthcare conducted a survey, fielded by BluePrint, of 1,000 U.S. women ages 25 – 45 who are in committed relationships, are done having children, and are not using permanent birth control. Some key findings from the survey reveal that:

• After deciding they were done having children, 62 percent  of the 349 women surveyed who are currently on birth control pills admitted to forgetting to take it on more than one occasion.
• 72 percent of the women surveyed are interested in birth control methods that are permanent, non-daily and non-hormonal.
• 52 percent of the women surveyed stated the main benefit of not getting pregnant again would be enjoying the family that they currently have.

Visit www.familysizematters.com for more key survey findings.

About Family Size Matters
Family Size Matters is an educational program designed by Bayer HealthCare to help women who are done having children, or think they are done, talk to their doctors about family planning, including permanent birth control. The program aims to encourage women to speak with their partners and their doctors about choosing the right birth control option for her. To take a quiz about determining your "right size" and for tips on how to speak with your partner about family size, and your doctor about your options, visit www.familysizematters.com.

About Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz
A Diplomat of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz received her medical degree in 1996 from the USC School of Medicine and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Gilberg-Lenz is involved in women's empowerment and public education, and appears frequently as an expert in women's health and integrative medicine on TV, in print and on-line. Dr. Gilberg-Lenz has appeared on Dr. Drew's "Lifechangers", The Tyra Banks Show, The Today Show, Headline News and Bill O'Reilly's "No Spin Zone". Dr. Gilberg-Lenz is a paid spokesperson for Bayer.

About HealthyWomen
HealthyWomen (HW) is a leading nonprofit health information source for women. For nearly 25 years, women have been coming to HW for answers to their most pressing and personal health care questions. HW provides award-winning health information through a wide array of online content and print publications that are original, objective and reviewed and approved by medical experts. Its HON-certified website, www.HealthyWomen.org®, has been recognized by ForbesWoman as one of the "Top 100 Websites for Women" for the third year in a row and was named the top women's health website by Dr. Mehmet Oz in O, The Oprah Magazine. To learn more, visit  www.HealthyWomen.org. HealthyWomen has been compensated by Bayer for their sponsorship of this program.

About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals business of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a subsidiary of Bayer AG. Bayer HealthCare is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, and combines the activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. As a specialty pharmaceutical company, Bayer HealthCare provides products for General Medicine, Hematology, Neurology, Oncology and Women's Healthcare. The company's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases.

Forward-Looking Statement
This release may contain forward looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Bayer and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer.

SOURCE Bayer; HealthyWomen