Family Planning and Reproductive Health
- The Open Birth Interval: A Resource for Reproductive Health Programs and Women's Empowerment
The open birth interval is the time since a woman's last birth. It reflects not only desire for contraception and child health services but also freedom for outside activities, employment, and personal autonomy. It merits attention from policy makers, program managers, and service providers.
- Provider Bias in Family Planning Services: A Review of Its Meaning and Manifestations
Provider bias, including bias regarding client age, parity, and marital status, persists as an important barrier to contraceptive choice and access. Newer approaches to mitigate bias that have moved beyond training and guideline development to more fundamental behavior change show promise.
- Unintended Consequences of mHealth Interactive Voice Messages Promoting Contraceptive Use After Menstrual Regulation in Bangladesh: Intimate Partner Violence Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial
Automated interactive voice messages about post-menstrual regulation contraception delivered to women in Bangladesh via mobile phone were associated with increased reports of intimate partner violence. This finding highlights the importance of taking steps to minimize risk when delivering phone messages on sensitive topics and the need for assessing violence in such situations.
- Operationalizing Integrated Immunization and Family Planning Services in Rural Liberia: Lessons Learned From Evaluating Service Quality and Utilization
Providers, managers, and clients valued the integrated service delivery model. Trends indicated slightly higher family planning uptake in intervention facilities, but that difference was not statistically significant. Intrafacility referrals by postpartum women did not negatively affect immunization utilization rates.
- Increasing Family Planning Access in Kenya Through Engagement of Faith-Based Health Facilities, Religious Leaders, and Community Health Volunteers
The Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK) partnered with health facilities managed by faith-based organizations (FBOs), religious leaders, and community health volunteers to increase access to family planning in western Kenya. FBO-managed health facilities saw large increases in family planning uptake over the 5-year project, particularly for implants.
- Indicators for Monitoring and Evaluation of Community-Based Injectable Contraception: Multisourced Process and New Global Guidance
We based our guidance on a literature review, technical consultation, and case studies of 3 countries. We identified 4 essential indicators: enough community health workers (CHWs) certified to provide injectables to meet project goals, CHWs are appropriately supervised, stock of injectables is reliable, and clients are receiving injections.
- Postabortion Care and the Voluntary Family Planning Component: Expanding Contraceptive Choices and Service Options
Universal access to voluntary postabortion family planning is a critical and compelling component of postabortion care. Such access should be joined with postpartum family planning services in national programs, health information systems, and training programs. The same providers and facilities deliver both services, and integration could yield cost efficiencies and increased coverage for women receiving postabortion care.
- Postabortion Family Planning Progress: The Role of Donors and Health Professional Associations
Global leadership from donors and international professional associations has enabled postabortion family planning services to be scaled up worldwide through preservice education, clinical service delivery, and global health programming.
- Voluntary Contraceptive Uptake Among Postabortion Care Clients Treated With Misoprostol in Rwanda
Voluntary contraceptive uptake among postabortion care clients treated with misoprostol in Rwanda was high and unhindered by the extended bleeding that sometimes occurs with misoprostol use. However, provider knowledge regarding return to fertility and contraceptive methods appropriate for postabortion care clients should be strengthened.
- Reducing Barriers to Postabortion Contraception: The Role of Expanding Coverage of Postabortion Care in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Expanding postabortion care (PAC) coverage to 64 public facilities over 30 months in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, contributed to >6,000 women voluntarily adopting a contraceptive method, for an overall acceptance rate of about 81% and 78% adopting a long-acting method. Key interventions included clinical training and follow-up mentorship; PAC service reorganization, equipment provision, and an expanded method mix offering; standardized PAC documentation tools; and community linkages and referrals.