Reproductive Health

Ensuring Human Rights in the Provision of Contraceptive Information and Services

These WHO guidelines provide recommendations for programmes as to how they can ensure that human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled, while services are scaled up to reduce unmet need for contraception. Both health data and international human rights laws and treaties were incorporated into the guidance. [from abstract]

Soccer and Sexual Health Education: A Promising Approach for Reducing Adolescent Births in Haiti

This paper explores the effect of an innovative, integrative program in female sexual reproductive health (SRH) and soccer (or fútbol, in Haitian Creole) in rural Haiti by measuring the rate of births among program participants 15–19 years old and their nonparticipant peers. [from abstract]

Social Behavior Change for Family Planning

Many maternal and child health programs want to add family planning (counseling, referrals or even services) into their programs. One way to get started is through social and behavior change. That means learning about the community’s family planning knowledge, attitudes and practices, and then creating strategies based on what is learned. Many health program and government staff would like to get the skills needed for this process—but time and resources are not available for a week(s) long training.This curriculum can share these useful skills without requiring a lot of time or resources.

Successful mLearning Pilot in Senegal: Delivering Family Planning Refresher Training Using Interactive Voice Response and SMS

Health workers’ knowledge of contraceptive side effects increased substantially after the refresher training. The mobile phone approach was convenient and flexible and did not disrupt routine service delivery. Clear limitations of the medium are participants can’t practice clinical skills or have interactive discussions. Also, some participants had trouble with network reception. [from abstract]

Understanding Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Adolescents: Evidence from a Formative Evaluation in Wakiso District, Uganda

Recent studies done in central Uganda have shown that there is need for a critical assessment of adolescent friendly services (AFS) to gain insights on current practice and inform future interventions. This study aimed to assess the sexual reproductive health needs of the adolescents and explored their attitudes towards current services available. [from abstract]

Condom Use Toolkit

Male and female condoms are the only contraceptive methods that provide dual protection against both unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. Through state-of-the-art scientific evidence, programmatic guidance, and implementation tools, the Condom Use Toolkit assists health policy makers, program managers, service providers, and others in planning, managing, evaluating, and supporting the provision of condoms. Many items in the Condom Use Toolkit can be adapted for use in specific country contexts and unique program circumstances. [from introduction]

External evaluation of the Amref Health Africa Project on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights for the Young People (Tuitetee – Lets Fight For It), 2010- 2015

This end-of-project evaluation of the Swedish support to the Amref Health Africa Project on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights for the Young People (Tuitetee–LetsFight For It), 2010-2015 was commissioned by the Embassy of Sweden in Tanzania, through Sida’s framework agreement for reviews and evaluations. [from preface]

Family Planning 2011: Better Use of Existing Methods, New Strategies and More Informed Choices for Female Contraception

This paper explores recent developments in female contraception, using them to illustrate how adaptation of existing methods, improved service delivery and understanding contraceptive behaviour might increase contraceptive uptake and correct and consistent use, and how the development of new methods holds some promise for capitalizing on the potential non-contraceptive benefits. [from abstract]

Knowledge and Acceptance of ‘Vasectomy as a Method of Contraception’ amongst Literate Married Men in Ekpoma, Nigeria

Women have been shown to accept surgical intervention methods of contraception than men. Despite the fact
that vasectomy is safer, simpler and effective, it is underutilized and relatively unknown in Nigeria. This study therefore, investigates the knowledge and acceptance of ‘vasectomy as a male contraceptive method in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria.

The Use of ICT Tools (Mobile Phones) to Improve Awareness of Pregnancy Danger Signs among Pregnant Women in Rural Communities of South Africa

he present study investigated awareness of pregnancy danger signs, symptoms and associated factors among a group of South African pregnant women attending prenatal care clinics in rural setting. [from abstract]

Standard Days Method of Contraception: Evidence on Use, Implementation, and Scale Up

This working paper summarizes the results of a structured review on SDM [Standard Days Method] by the Evidence Project in 2014. This review utilized standardized search strings and systematic screening and abstracting criteria for reviewing available peer-reviewed and grey literature reports on SDM outcomes.

Health Care Providers’ Perceptions of and Attitudes Towards Induced Abortions in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia: A Systematic Literature Review of Qualitative and Quantitative Data

The aim of this study was to identify, summarise and synthesise available research addressing health care providers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards induced abortions in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. [from abstract]

Evaluations of Reproductive Health Programs in Humanitarian Settings: A Systematic Review

Provision of reproductive health (RH) services is a minimum standard of health care in humanitarian settings; however access to these services is often limited. This systematic review, one component of a global evaluation of RH in humanitarian settings, sought to explore the evidence regarding RH services provided in humanitarian settings and to determine if programs are being evaluated. [from abstract]

Assessing Post-Abortion Care in Health Facilities in Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Complications of abortion are one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide, along with hemorrhage, sepsis, and hypertensive diseases of pregnancy. In Afghanistan little data exist on the capacity of the health system to provide post-abortion care (PAC). This paper presents findings from a national emergency obstetric and neonatal care needs assessment related to PAC, with the aim of providing insight into the current situation and recommendations for improvement of PAC services. [from abstract]

Perceptions and Barriers to Contraceptive Use among Adolescents Aged 15 - 19 Years in Kenya: A Case Study of Nairobi

Even after the launch of family planning program in Kenya, in 1967, contraceptive use among adolescents has remained below 10 percent while child bearing has increased from 2 percent at age 15 to 36 percent at age 19. To understand the roles of perceptions and barriers on contraceptive use, a mixed method study design was applied to a conceptual framework that operationalized these concepts using data from different sources of social interactions in Nairobi, Kenya. [from abstract]

Adding It Up 2014: The Costs and Benefits of Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health

The 2014 edition of Adding It Up expands the scope of the report and provides new estimates of the needs for and costs and benefits of sexual and reproductive health interventions in the following key areas: contraceptive services; maternal, newborn and other pregnancy-related care; selected services related to HIV prevention; and treating women for four other common STIs. [from introduction]

Health Workers' Experiences, Barriers, Preferences and Motivating Factors in Using mHealth Forms in Ethiopia

Mobile health (mHealth) applications, such as innovative electronic forms on smartphones, could potentially improve the performance of health care workers and health systems in developing countries. However, contextual evidence on health workers’ barriers and motivating factors that may influence large-scale implementation of such interfaces for health care delivery is scarce. [from abstract]

Achieving the Goal of the London Summit on Family Planning By Adhering to Voluntary, Rights-Based Family Planning: What Can We Learn from Past Experiences with Coercion?

The purpose of this article is to answer the following questions: What constitutes coercion in family planning policy and program management and how do we use lessons of the past to prevent future instances of coercion? [from abstract]

Young Women’s Access to and Use of Contraceptives: The Role of Providers’ Restrictions in Urban Senegal

Contraceptive prevalence is very low in Senegal, particularly among young women. Greater knowledge is needed about the barriers young women face to using contraceptives, including barriers imposed by health providers. [from abstract]

Modern Contraceptive Method Mix and Factors Affecting Utilization of Modern Contraceptives among Married Women in Adigrat Town, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

This study was conducted to assess the contraceptive method mix and factors associated with modern contraceptive use among currently married women in Adigrat town. [from abstract]

Intention to Use Long-Acting and Permanent Family Planning Methods Among Married 15-49 Years Women in Debremarkos Town, Northwest Ethiopia

This study assessed the intention and factors associated with long-acting and permanent family planning methods among married 15-45 years women in Debre markos town to look at the local context. [from abstract]

Barriers and Motivators to Early Utilization of Ante Natal Care Services in Chipinge South District in Zimbabwe: A Qualitative Study

Zimbabwe is ranked amongst the countries with highest maternal mortality rate in the world. Lack of early Ante
Natal Care (ANC) use and home deliveries by pregnant women are amongst the drivers of maternal mortality in the
country. The study therefore delved on identifying barriers and motivators to early use of ANC and delivering at health
facilities in Chipinge South District [from abstract]

A Regional Experience on Providing Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health for Most-at-Risk Adolescents and Young People

The article aims to evaluate the current state of sexual and reproductive health policy regarding sexual and
reproductive health service and reproductive rights for most at risk adolescent/youth. The training of trainers and
local trainings present the nature of major challenges in service provision and the quality of services in the light of
findings from international trainings conducted in Turkey and Tajikistan. [from abstract]

Sexual and Reproductive Health: Progress and Outstanding Needs

We examine progress towards the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) commitment to provide universal access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services by 2014, with an emphasis on changes for those living in poor and emerging economies. [from abstract]

Family Planning (Planin)

A 16-hour training providing information to Community Health Workers regarding defining family planning and describing various methods of family planning, explaining advantages of family planning at the individual, family, and community levels, identify cultural and social barriers to practicing family planning and counseling individuals and couples about the benefits of family planning and how to choose an appropriate method of family planning. [adapted from resource]

Health Systems Integration of Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Study

Both sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and HIV programs in sub-Saharan Africa are typically delivered vertically, operating parallel to national health systems. The objective of this study was to map the evidence on national and international strategies for integration of SRH and HIV services in sub-Saharan Africa and to develop a research agenda for future health systems integration. [from abstract]

Traditional Birth Attendance (TBA) in a Health System: What Are The Roles, Benefits and Challenges: A Case Study of Incorporated TBA in Timor-Leste

The study utilized a non-systematic review of the literature using key words such as community health
workers, traditional birth attendants, reproductive health, child health and health outcomes. A case study from
Timor-Leste was also used. [from abstract]

Population, Family Planning and Reproductive Health Policy Harmonization in Bangladesh

Over the past 30 years, Bangladesh has achieved significant economic and human development progress, and demonstrated impressive policy as well as programmatic commitment to lowering the fertility level. However, its future socioeconomic prospects may be hampered by its population growth rate, depending on how quickly the fertility rates decline and at which point they stabilize. [from abstract]

Early Infant Feeding Practices in Three African Countries: The PROMISE-EBF Trial Promoting Exclusive Breastfeeding By Peer Counsellors

Immediate and exclusive initiation of breastfeeding after delivery have been associated with better neonatal survival and child health and are recommended by the WHO. We report impact on early infant feeding practices from the PROMISE-EBF trial. [from abstract]

Checkpoints for Choice: An Orientation and Resource Package

Checkpoints for Choice: An Orientation and Resource Package offers practical guidance on how to enable stakeholders involved in FP programs to examine issues of full, free, and informed choice and to keep the needs and preferences of clients central to their operations. The package consists of a detailed plan with all support materials for a one-day workshop to enable FP program planners and managers to strengthen the focus of FP programs on clients’ human rights and contraceptive choices in the context of a rights-based program. [from resource]