A new family-planning campaign urging thousands of Scottish women to switch from the Pill to modern-day implants and injections will be launched by ministers next year.

A new family-planning campaign urging thousands of Scottish women to switch from the Pill to modern-day implants and injections will be launched by ministers next year.

The Scottish Government wants women using the once-revolutionary contraceptive to consider changing to newer, reversible alternatives that are longer-term and more reliable.

Critics warned that older women making that change could find it harder to conceive later on because it can take months for natural fertility to return after they stop taking the latest forms of contraception.

But ministers believe that the drive will help cut the rising number of unwanted pregnancies in Scotland, which are often caused by women forgetting to take the Pill, leading to thousands of abortions every year.

The £270,000 campaign is the first national sexual health social marketing campaign since the 1980s.

This latest bid to improve sexual health will focus on improving safe sex, particularly among gay and bisexual men, and the first stage of the campaign next spring will tackle the taboo that still surrounds discussions about sexual health and habits.

Announcing the move, Public Health Minister Shona Robison said: "Knowledge is power and by increasing knowledge and providing better information - for instance, about risk-taking behaviour - people will be able to make more informed choices.

The aim of the campaign is to reduce both unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections."

Ministers said the initial phase of the campaign was aimed at creating a more "positive culture" before moving on to target particular issues, such as longer-acting reversible contraception.