Only 22% of women prescribed teratogenic medications are concurrently on hormonal contraception, doctors and pharmacologists warn, based on their study of PBS records for 16,000 women.

Research co-author and GP academic Professor Danielle Mazza said more than 90% of the women in the study were taking oral retinoids and that dermatologists needed to be responsible for ensuring women of child-bearing age had overlapping contraception.

“The dermatologist’s responsibility is to ensure that the patient is using contraception … and they should be referred back to GPs about that and at least offered long-acting reversible contraception as an option,” she said.

Asked what advice she had for GPs, she responded: “Don’t rely on the dermatologist to deal with contraception.”