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Use of the inserter was found to be safe, with high fundal placement in 82% of cases. Complete expulsion occurred in 7.5% of cases and partial expulsion was detected in 10%, comparable with rates in other studies using standard IUD insertion techniques. Further study and use of the dedicated inserter may reveal increased convenience and reduced risk of infection among users and could improve acceptability of postpartum IUD provision among providers.

Following the introduction of IUDs into the Ethiopian public health sector, use of the method increased from <1% in 2011 to 6% in 2014 in a sample of 40 health facilities. This shift occurred in the context of wide method choice, following provider training, provision of post-training supplies, and community-based awareness creation. The IUD was acceptable to a diverse range of clients, including new contraceptive users, those with little to no education, those from rural areas, and younger women, thus suggesting a strong latent demand for IUDs in Ethiopia.

An estimated 2.2 million women surveyed in low- and middle-income countries between 2005 and 2015 gave birth alone. This practice was concentrated in West and Central Africa and parts of East Africa. Women who delivered with no one present were very poor, uneducated, older, and of higher parity. Experience from northern Nigeria suggests the practice can be reduced markedly by mobilizing religious and civil society leaders to improve community awareness about the critical importance of having an attendant present.

Many program implementers have difficulty collecting and analyzing data on program beneficiaries’ wealth because a large number of survey questions are required to construct the standard wealth index. We created country-specific measures of household wealth with as few as 6 questions that are highly reliable and valid in both urban and rural contexts.