Studies In Family Planning[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
Impacts of Contraception on Future Fertility: Addressing Concerns to Improve Understanding.
Begg L, Owolabi O, Polis CB
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 42373315 · Publisher ↗
Even though one-year pregnancy rates following contraceptive discontinuation are similar to pregnancy rates following nonuse of contraception, there are widespread perceptions that modern contraceptives will have adverse...
Even though one-year pregnancy rates following contraceptive discontinuation are similar to pregnancy rates following nonuse of contraception, there are widespread perceptions that modern contraceptives will have adverse effects on future fertility. There are likely a variety of factors that contribute to these perceptions. One explanation could be the short-term (<12 months) delays in return to fertility following contraceptive cessation, which may be interpreted as evidence of subfertility. In this commentary, we argue that the contraceptive field should embrace evidence-based nuance about return to fertility (including, but not limited to, during contraceptive counseling) to minimize confusion and distrust. Further, greater emphasis on the fertility-preserving aspects of contraception and multipurpose prevention technologies may be helpful in bringing understanding about the effects of contraception into alignment with scientific evidence.
User and Provider Experiences with a Digital Health Family Planning Counseling Tool for Women Living with HIV in Kenya.
Karume AK, Drake AL, Moraa J … +6 more , Atieno C, Ngumbau N, Seth A, Beima-Sofie K, Kinuthia J, Unger JA
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 42338000 · Publisher ↗
Women living with HIV(WLHIV) have diverse and complex reproductive health needs that require patient-centered, informed decision-making. Digital tools to support reproductive life planning may improve reproductive health...
Women living with HIV(WLHIV) have diverse and complex reproductive health needs that require patient-centered, informed decision-making. Digital tools to support reproductive life planning may improve reproductive health counseling and outcomes for these women. We evaluated user experiences with a self-administered, tablet-based family planning (FP) counseling tool as part of a digital health intervention implemented within a cluster randomized trial in Kenya. We conducted 10 focus group discussions with WLHIV (n = 95) who received the counseling tool and in-depth interviews (n = 10) with providers. Data were collected using semistructured guides, transcribed, translated, and thematically analyzed. Women's median age was 26 years, and 52 percent were married. Providers had a median of seven years' experience. WLHIV and providers found the counseling tool acceptable and felt it improved decision-making, FP knowledge, and patient-provider interactions. Women reported that the counseling tool supported informed FP decisions, improved awareness about less familiar options, and dispelled myths and misconceptions. Providers said the counseling tool helped tailor counseling, though it was challenging to use with women with more FP experience or with a selected method, but helpful among new FP users and adolescents. Participants also felt that the tool was lengthy. Tailoring the counseling tool and making it optional for specific groups of WLHIV may improve feasibility.
It's Time to Get Practical: A Call for Shorter Measures in the Family Planning Community.
McDougal L
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 42099122 · Full text
While there is widespread agreement that measurement is an essential component of successful family planning programming, policy-making, and research, current measures are still catching up to the field's shift to more p...
While there is widespread agreement that measurement is an essential component of successful family planning programming, policy-making, and research, current measures are still catching up to the field's shift to more person-centered and agency-focused goals. Concurrently, the global reproductive health and data ecosystems have been profoundly interrupted, and resources are becoming increasingly scarce. This is thus a critical time to reexamine our priorities regarding what and how we measure across different aspects of family planning. In the last decade, new family planning measures had an average of 14 items per measure. This length is impractical for inclusion in most large-scale surveys and unfeasible in many modalities of data collection. In order to meet the very difficult moment in which the family planning community now finds itself, we must embrace pragmatism and promote the development, testing, and use of reliable, valid, and short (five or fewer item) measures. We have a chance to be both responsive and adaptive, and it is timely and necessary that we do so as a family planning measurement community.
A Bayesian Framework to Account for Misclassification Error and Uncertainty in the Estimation of Abortion Prevalence.
Pejchinovska M, Alexander M
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 42084205 · Full text
Obtaining reliable estimates of the prevalence of induced abortion remains a significant challenge in abortion research. Recently, one indirect, survey-based technique for measuring abortion outcomes, the confidante meth...
Obtaining reliable estimates of the prevalence of induced abortion remains a significant challenge in abortion research. Recently, one indirect, survey-based technique for measuring abortion outcomes, the confidante method, has gained particular attention. The method has been applied in various social and legal contexts; however, its efficacy has not been uniformly established. Increasingly, focus has shifted to assessing the method's key assumptions and quantifying the biases that arise from violations of them. We propose a general statistical framework to conceptualize and quantify the impact of biases on measuring abortion prevalence from such surveys. Specifically, we define the relationship between observed and true abortion prevalence based on misclassification error related to the sensitivity and specificity of the survey instrument. This formulation leads naturally to a Bayesian modeling approach to estimate abortion prevalence, allowing for differing knowledge of and different levels of uncertainty about the misclassification parameters to be incorporated in the modeling process, with that uncertainty being propagated through to the final estimates. We illustrate our framework and modeling approach on data from an application of the confidante method in Uganda in 2018, where we account for systematic differences in confidante abortion reports based on the self-reported abortion experiences of survey respondents.
"I Need to Space to Help Me Take Care of Myself and My Child": How Married Adolescent Girls in Northern Nigeria Learn and Practice Birth Spacing through Safe Space Clubs.
Schmitz RM, Juie IJ, Fasawe O … +1 more , Graves A
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 41944375 · Publisher ↗
Adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) with high levels of poverty face barriers to education, health, and life opportunities. In Northern Nigeria, patriarchal norms and gendered expectations heighte...
Adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) with high levels of poverty face barriers to education, health, and life opportunities. In Northern Nigeria, patriarchal norms and gendered expectations heighten girls' risk of early marriage and high-risk childbearing. Birth spacing, or extending the length of time between births, can be a socially acceptable strategy that girls use to maintain their health. The Centre for Girls Education (CGE)'s Married Adolescent Girls Safe Spaces (MAS) program in rural Northern Nigeria included lessons on birth spacing and visits to health facilities. We conducted a case study of the MAS program, drawing from three years of ethnographic field research, including participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. Combining scientific evidence and Islamic teachings in MAS safe spaces shaped girls' understanding and appreciation of modern birth spacing methods, and their agency in negotiating usage. However, girls' agency remained constrained by structural and normative barriers limiting their ability to practice birth spacing. The MAS program suggests that integrating scientific information and Islamic teachings on birth spacing in safe spaces can strengthen married adolescent girls' knowledge and agency to use modern methods, while underscoring the need to address persistent structural and gender norms.
Traditional or Modern Contraception? Association Between Health Worker Contact and Contraceptive Choice in India: Findings From NFHS 2019-2021.
Bhan N, Johns N, Hay K … +4 more , Patwardhan V, Singh A, Ambast S, McDougal L
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 41944354 · Full text
Despite greater availability and affordability of modern contraception, the use of traditional contraception is rising in India. We examined the relationship between Indian women's contact with a community health worker...
Despite greater availability and affordability of modern contraception, the use of traditional contraception is rising in India. We examined the relationship between Indian women's contact with a community health worker (CHW) and discussion of family planning (FP) with their contraceptive use. We analyzed data from 306,037 nonpregnant, non-sterilized married women in the 2019-2021 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Multinomial regression models estimated the association between CHW contact and contraceptive use (consistent use, switching, and discontinuation) in the past three months. Nearly 22 percent of women reported current use of traditional contraception, with 18 percent reporting exclusive use and 4.1 percent concurrent method use. Traditional contraception was more common among older women, women with lower education, higher parity, and in nuclear households. CHW discussion on FP was associated with higher traditional contraceptive use [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.11 (95 percent Confidence Interval (CI): 1.04, 1.19)], reversible modern method use [AOR = 1.92 (95 percent CI: 1.82, 2.02)], and concurrent use [AOR = 2.19 (95 percent CI: 1.95, 2.45)]. Recent CHW engagement was associated with consistent modern method use [Adjusted Relative Risk Ratio (ARRR) = 2.02 (95 percent CI: 1.91, 2.13)], switching from traditional to modern method [ARRR = 1.67 (95 percent CI: 1.14, 2.46)], and discontinuation of modern contraception [ARRR = 2.10 (95 percent CI: 1.81, 2.44)]. CHW engagement on FP may enable initiation and consistent use of traditional and modern methods, switching, and discontinuation of contraception.
Rural-Urban Differences in the Association Between Reproductive Coercion and Postpartum Family Planning.
Dozier JL, Wood SN, Yirgu R … +2 more , Shiferaw S, Zimmerman LA
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 41934652 · Full text
Access to timely postpartum family planning (PPFP) helps safeguard women's reproductive autonomy and supports healthy birth spacing, yet little is known about how reproductive coercion (RC) shapes women's ability to init...
Access to timely postpartum family planning (PPFP) helps safeguard women's reproductive autonomy and supports healthy birth spacing, yet little is known about how reproductive coercion (RC) shapes women's ability to initiate contraception after childbirth. We analyzed prospective cohort data from 1,481 pregnant Ethiopian women followed for 12 months postpartum between 2021 and 2023. Time (in months) to contraceptive uptake by pre-pregnancy RC exposure and residence was assessed using Kaplan-Meier estimators and parametric survival models. Approximately one in seven women experienced pre-pregnancy RC, and, overall, 46.7 percent adopted a modern contraceptive method within 12 months postpartum. Overall differences in PPFP uptake were modest, but residence significantly modified this relationship. Rural women who experienced RC initiated postpartum contraception later and had a 40 percent lower hazard of initiating postpartum contraception compared to unexposed rural women (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.60, 95 percent confidence interval 0.37-0.98), while no significant association was observed among urban women. Urban women initiated PPFP more rapidly than rural women, regardless of RC exposure. These findings suggest that the effects of RC extend beyond pregnancy and are shaped by the wider structural context, particularly in rural settings where access to contraception may be limited. Recognizing RC as part of the PPFP context is essential for designing programs and health systems responses that support women to realize their reproductive goals and address interpersonal and structural barriers to timely contraceptive use.
Methodological Innovations for Evidencing and Estimating Modern and Traditional Contraceptive Prevalence and Use Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Alhassan N, Madise NJ, Corker J … +10 more , Dodoo ND, Coast E, Dodoo FN, Emina JBO, Pallikadavath S, Omoluabi E, Peterson MB, Mushomi JA, Mzembe T, Zulu EM
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 41921089 · Full text
Contraceptive prevalence estimates are indicators of the performance of family planning programs. Yet, available evidence suggests that national surveys may be underestimating the prevalence of traditional methods. The a...
Contraceptive prevalence estimates are indicators of the performance of family planning programs. Yet, available evidence suggests that national surveys may be underestimating the prevalence of traditional methods. The apparent underestimation of traditional methods stems from current approaches for collecting, analyzing, and reporting contraceptive data. We examined the effect of survey methodological innovations on the estimation of traditional and modern contraceptives. We used data from a cross-country comparative study conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. The sample comprised 9,075 in union and sexually active women not in union aged 15-49 years. The results showed that follow-up method-by-method questioning increased the reporting of both traditional and modern methods, with the increase being much higher for modern methods, while reducing the percentage of nonusers. Revising the standard approach for computing contraceptive prevalence to account separately for concurrent traditional and modern method use revealed substantial underestimation of traditional method use, particularly in DRC and Ghana. These findings underscore the need to revise the current framing of questions and estimation approaches to improve the accuracy of contraceptive use estimates. The findings also highlight the importance of taking into account concurrent use of traditional and modern methods, which is often ignored in family planning research.
The Contribution of Educational Changes to Fertility Declines in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
Schoumaker BD, Sánchez-Páez DA
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 41915610 · Full text
Educational expansion is widely regarded as a central mechanism in fertility transitions, yet some research suggests its role may be more modest. This study analyzes birth histories from 414 surveys in 72 low- and middle...
Educational expansion is widely regarded as a central mechanism in fertility transitions, yet some research suggests its role may be more modest. This study analyzes birth histories from 414 surveys in 72 low- and middle-income countries to reassess the contribution of the shift in the educational composition of the population to fertility declines. We reconstruct fertility trends by educational level over several decades and apply the Kitagawa decomposition method to determine whether declines primarily reflect shifts in educational composition or changes in fertility within educational groups. On average, educational expansion accounts for approximately 30 percent of the decline in fertility, with substantial variation across regions, countries, and over time. The declines primarily reflect fertility changes within educational groups, especially among women without secondary education, rather than shifts in the educational composition of the population. However, although educational progress is neither necessary nor sufficient for fertility decline, it has consistently contributed to fertility reductions and is likely to remain an important component of fertility transitions.
The Impact of Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme's Coverage Policy on Modern Contraceptive Use.
Kumbeni MT, Dun-Dery EJ, Afaya A … +2 more , Yeboah EO, Apanga PA
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 41845863 · Publisher ↗
We examine the effect of Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme's (NHIS) contraceptive coverage policy on modern contraceptive use among women in the country. We analyzed three rounds of Ghana Demographic and Health Su...
We examine the effect of Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme's (NHIS) contraceptive coverage policy on modern contraceptive use among women in the country. We analyzed three rounds of Ghana Demographic and Health Survey data (2008-2022), using 2008-2014 as the pre-intervention period and 2022 as the post-intervention period. A propensity score matching was applied to the pre-intervention data to enhance comparability between intervention (NHIS) and control (non-NHIS) groups, before applying the difference-in-differences estimator. Multivariable linear probability models were used to estimate the effects. We also performed a placebo and sensitivity analysis to assess the validity and robustness of findings. Among the 26,713 weighted sample, 71.6 percent were in the intervention group and 28.4 percent in the control group. The NHIS contraceptive coverage policy significantly increased modern and long-term contraceptive use by 2.9 and 2.3 percentage points, respectively. We observed heterogeneous effects, with significantly higher increases in long-term method use among women in urban areas and smaller, nonsignificant increases among those in rural areas. Our findings underscore the potential for health insurance in enhancing access to and utilization of modern contraceptive methods. Sustained financing, timely provider reimbursement, and continuous monitoring are necessary to ensure reliable service availability and long-term policy sustainability.
Evolving Gender Attitudes and Fertility Preferences: A Study of Young Women in Five Sub-Saharan African Countries.
De Vestel J, Gadeyne S
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Jun · PMID 41820244 · Publisher ↗
Declining fertility preferences are recognized as a key driver of fertility reduction in sub-Saharan Africa, emphasizing the need to understand their determinants and evolution. This study investigates how the relationsh...
Declining fertility preferences are recognized as a key driver of fertility reduction in sub-Saharan Africa, emphasizing the need to understand their determinants and evolution. This study investigates how the relationship between gender attitudes and desired fertility has changed over time among young women aged 15-24. Using Demographic and Health Surveys from Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, and Zambia, we analyze country-specific associations between attitudes towards wife beating and ideal number of children across four consecutive surveys spanning approximately 15 years. A pooled cross-country model includes a context-specific education measure to assess its moderating effect on the association. Findings show that tolerance of wife beating is linked to higher desired fertility in all countries at one or more time points, though the strength and direction of this relationship vary over time and by context. As egalitarian gender attitudes spread, women endorsing gender equality begin to diverge from high-fertility norms, while those holding traditional attitudes remain pronatalist, widening the gap in fertility preferences between the two groups. This shift is more likely in countries where the national average of women's education is relatively high (more than 4.5 years), suggesting that rising education fosters both egalitarian attitudes and changing fertility ideals.
TEAM-UP: Mixed-Methods Data for Understanding Traditional and Modern Contraceptive Use Dynamics in Four Sub-Saharan African Countries.
Alhassan N, Corker J, Madise NJ … +11 more , Coast E, Dodoo ND, Mzembe T, Emina JBO, Omoluabi E, Dodoo FN, Pallikadavath S, Peterson MB, Mushomi JA, OlaOlorun FM, Zulu EM
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Feb · PMID 41718497 · Publisher ↗
This Data Article describes a novel dataset from the "Re-Examining Traditional Method Use" (TEAM-UP) project, which systematically collected data on the measurement of and motivations for use of non-modern (traditional a...
This Data Article describes a novel dataset from the "Re-Examining Traditional Method Use" (TEAM-UP) project, which systematically collected data on the measurement of and motivations for use of non-modern (traditional and folkloric) contraceptive methods and/or modern methods, in four sub-Saharan African countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. TEAM-UP comprises four datasets (two quantitative and two qualitative), enabling comprehensive analyses of (1) the impact of methodological innovations on reporting of modern and non-modern method use, and prevalence estimates; (2) motivations for, and user experiences related to traditional and folkloric methods, and (3) contraceptive use dynamics across all methods and method types, including nonuse. Data collection was conducted in four stages: qualitative (Stage 1; 54 focus group discussions and 81 key informant interviews) and quantitative (Stage 2; n = 918) pilots, followed by women's surveys (Stage 3; n = 13,625) and follow-up qualitative in-depth interviews (Stage 4; 469 interviews). The main TEAM-UP survey data are publicly available, with both the pilot and follow-up in-depth qualitative data available upon vetted request.
Moving Beyond Unintended Pregnancy: Development of a Person-Centered Conceptual Framework and Measure of Self-Assessed Pregnancy Acceptability.
Borrero S, Judge-Golden C, Dehlendorf C … +6 more , Callegari LS, Hamm ME, Cameron FA, Switzer GE, Wulf S, Mosley EA
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Mar · PMID 41601231 · Full text
Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) research, programming, policy, and services have long relied on the narrow paradigm of "pregnancy intendedness and planning," including its "unintended pregnancy" measure. This framew...
Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) research, programming, policy, and services have long relied on the narrow paradigm of "pregnancy intendedness and planning," including its "unintended pregnancy" measure. This framework is limited and problematic, overlooking diverse perspectives on pregnancy, structural factors, and non-parenting outcomes such as abortion and adoption. In response, we developed the Self-Assessed Pregnancy Acceptability (SAPA) framework and measure as a person-centered alternative. The SAPA framework was developed by centering the lived experiences of pregnant people in Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and California through baseline interviews shortly after pregnancy confirmation (N = 31) and follow-up post-pregnancy interviews (N = 14). Development was also informed by a diverse Expert Panel (N = 19) including reproductive justice leaders, reproductive measurement experts, and lived experience experts. Using cognitive interviews (N = 13), we refined an 11-item measure of SAPA that is currently being validated in a nationwide sample of nearly 600 people in early pregnancy. Following validation, SAPA could be integrated into national and state-level epidemiological surveillance surveys such as the National Survey of Family Growth and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. This novel framework and measure offer an alternative to unintended pregnancy and contribute to an ecosystem of person-centered, rigorously developed measures of SRH equity.
Factors That Contribute to Contraceptive Stockout Rates in Nigerian Health Facilities.
Ibinaiye T, Adelekan B, Bajoga U … +6 more , Ezikeanyi S, Anene A, Ntaka-Okocha I, Opiyo C, Dasogot A, Kuawu K
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Mar · PMID 41565606 · Full text
Contraceptive stockouts are a major barrier to effective family planning (FP) service delivery in Nigeria, limiting access to modern methods and contributing to adverse reproductive health outcomes. Despite ongoing effor...
Contraceptive stockouts are a major barrier to effective family planning (FP) service delivery in Nigeria, limiting access to modern methods and contributing to adverse reproductive health outcomes. Despite ongoing efforts to strengthen the supply chain, many health facilities continue to experience stockouts. A cross-sectional study was conducted in September 2024 across 1,050 service delivery points (SDPs) in Nigeria. Descriptive statistics and univariate mixed-effects logistic regression were used to explore associations between stockouts and facility characteristics, including location, supervision frequency, resupply methods, and logistics practices. Overall, 41.7 percent of SDPs reported at least one contraceptive stockout in the three months preceding the survey. Stockouts were slightly more common in rural facilities (56.8 percent) compared to urban facilities (43.2 percent), though this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.53). Monthly supervisory visits were associated with significantly lower stockout rates (p = 0.014). Facilities relying on external agencies for resupply had 1.55 times higher odds of stockouts than those calculating needs internally (p = 0.058). Delays exceeding two weeks between ordering and delivery were the strongest predictor of stockouts (odds ratio: 1.76, 95 percent confidence interval: 1.257-2.474, p < 0.001). Improving supply chain efficiency, supervision frequency, and resupply models is critical to reducing contraceptive stockouts and enhancing FP service delivery in Nigeria.
Pregnancy, Birth, Neonatal, and Mental Health Outcomes Are Minimally Associated with Pregnancy Ambivalence.
Grace KT, Auerbach S, Alspaugh A … +4 more , Rios N, Altay T, Kanselaar S, Mosley EA
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Mar · PMID 41521643 · Full text
Pregnancy ambivalence is increasingly recognized and studied in sexual and reproductive health research, yet its associations with adverse outcomes remain unclear. The purpose of this paper was to explore different measu...
Pregnancy ambivalence is increasingly recognized and studied in sexual and reproductive health research, yet its associations with adverse outcomes remain unclear. The purpose of this paper was to explore different measures of ambivalence and whether any were associated with poor pregnancy, birth, social or mental health outcomes. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1941 individuals assigned female at birth, ages 18-45, who had been pregnant in the past 2 years. Ambivalence measures included the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) and additional questions exploring mixed feelings, uncertainty, incongruent feelings, and fatalistic beliefs about pregnancy planning. No associations were observed between ambivalence and birth/neonatal outcomes, though ambivalence measures were linked to delayed prenatal care, exposure to harmful behaviors during pregnancy, and increased odds of depression, anxiety, and intimate partner violence. Mental health assessments and intimate partner violence screening could improve care delivery and outcomes more than screening for pregnancy ambivalence. The LMUP, which captures multiple dimensions of ambivalence as well as addresses the deficiencies with traditional measures of behavior, may be the strongest measure to use when needing to comprehensively measure pregnancy ambivalence.
From Birth to Death: The Marital Consequences of Child Loss for Unmarried Mothers.
Lin Y, Smith-Greenaway E, Cortes Rodriguez C … +1 more , Clark S
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Mar · PMID 41277108 · Publisher ↗
High levels of premarital childbearing in Africa have spurred considerable interest in its consequences for women. Premarital childbearing corresponds with women's poor health, as well as their subsequent life course out...
High levels of premarital childbearing in Africa have spurred considerable interest in its consequences for women. Premarital childbearing corresponds with women's poor health, as well as their subsequent life course outcomes, including their marriage timing and quality. However, this work has not considered the survival of women's premaritally born children, leaving unclear what happens to unmarried mothers when their children do not survive. In this paper, we ask how infant death affects unmarried mothers' subsequent life course outcomes. We analyze recent Demographic and Health Survey data from 26 countries to examine the marital outcomes of unmarried mothers-differentiating between those whose firstborn survived infancy and those whose child did not. We find that, although premarital childbearing is generally known to correspond with marriage disadvantages, unwed mothers whose premarital births ended in the death of an infant have distinctive marital trajectories and experiences compared to their peers with a surviving child. Although child loss accelerates unmarried mothers' entry into marriages, these bereaved mothers are more likely to marry less educated, polygynous, and violent husbands, especially among younger birth cohorts. The results demonstrate the double disadvantages unmarried women face in both bearing and losing a child.
Dispelling Myths and Empowering Women: The Truth About Oral Contraceptives in Pakistan.
Burhan M, Ahmed J
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Mar · PMID 41277065 · Publisher ↗
In Pakistan, cultural taboos around reproductive health fuel persistent myths about oral contraceptives (OCs), limiting women's empowerment and informed decision-making. While misconceptions affect several contraceptive...
In Pakistan, cultural taboos around reproductive health fuel persistent myths about oral contraceptives (OCs), limiting women's empowerment and informed decision-making. While misconceptions affect several contraceptive methods, OCs face particular mistrust, with use far below global averages. Five widespread myths dominate public perception: that OCs cause permanent infertility, cardiovascular disease, birth defects, weight gain, and are religiously forbidden. Scientific evidence consistently disproves these claims. OC use does not impair long-term fertility, offers some cardiovascular benefits, and does not cause congenital anomalies or permanent weight gain. Additionally, Islamic teachings-supported by respected fatwas (Islamic legal rulings)-permit family planning to safeguard maternal and child health. Yet, contraceptive prevalence remains low in Pakistan, with only 34% of married women using any method. Early pregnancies, short birth intervals, and inadequate reproductive knowledge contribute to high maternal and neonatal mortality. Misunderstanding persists, with many women misinformed or influenced by social narratives rather than evidence. Healthcare professionals, together with educators, community leaders, and religious scholars, play a crucial role in counselling and dispelling myths. Promoting dialogue and evidence-based guidance can challenge harmful beliefs. Correcting these misconceptions is both a public health priority and a societal responsibility toward healthier families and empowered women.
Male Contraceptive Methods: Understanding Men and Women's Views and Related Relationship Dynamics via Nationally Representative Surveys in Six Countries.
Pulerwitz J, Kaur J, Gottert A … +2 more , Rohini DV, Kretschmer S
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Mar · PMID 41201197 · Publisher ↗
A better understanding of men's and women's attitudes and relationship contexts into which novel male contraceptive methods will be introduced is needed. A cross-sectional survey of 12,435 randomly selected heterosexual...
A better understanding of men's and women's attitudes and relationship contexts into which novel male contraceptive methods will be introduced is needed. A cross-sectional survey of 12,435 randomly selected heterosexual men aged 18-60 years-and 9122 of their female partners-was conducted in Nigeria, Kenya, the DR Congo (DRC), Ivory Coast, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, during 2021-2022. Across all countries, the majority endorsed that both men and women are responsible for contraception and reported that open communication and shared decision-making were common between partners. Important differences emerged by region-for example, larger proportions in Asian versus African contexts reported trust in one's partner to disclose contraception use. About one-third of respondents who had used existing male contraceptives were dissatisfied with them. Notable proportions (up to one half) also had some concerns about the potential of new male contraception methods -for example, that it may negatively affect men's sexual performance. Multinomial regression analyses showed that higher education and income were associated with more positive attitudes about men and women's shared responsibility for contraception. Findings suggest that a future roll-out of novel male contraception should tailor awareness messages and related programming to address existing concerns and differences in attitudes across regions. Results also indicate that in multiple countries with high burdens of unintended pregnancy there is a need, interest, and relatively favorable contexts for the introduction of new male contraceptives.
World Contraceptive Use: A Global Compilation of Survey-Based Estimates on Contraceptive Use by Method, Age, and Marital Status.
Molitoris J, Kantorová V
Stud Fam Plann · 2025 Dec · PMID 41129313 · Publisher ↗
Every two years, the United Nations publishes World Contraceptive Use, a harmonized data compilation of survey-based estimates of contraceptive use by method, age, and marital status. These data are used by the United Na...
Every two years, the United Nations publishes World Contraceptive Use, a harmonized data compilation of survey-based estimates of contraceptive use by method, age, and marital status. These data are used by the United Nations for the global monitoring of the progress towards achieving internationally agreed goals, including Sustainable Development Goal 3, and are aimed as a resource for policymakers, advocates, and researchers. The goal of the data compilation is to include estimates of contraceptive use from any nationally representative survey carried out in countries and areas of the world since 1950. As of the 2024 revision, World Contraceptive Use contains 1464 survey estimates from 200 countries or areas between 1950 and 2023. This article describes briefly how the data are compiled and processed, the breadth and scope of their coverage, and presents some examples of how this rich and unique global data source can be used to glean insights about contraceptive use worldwide.
Postpartum Intrauterine Device Removal and Access to Removal in the 18 Months Following an Intervention in Tanzania, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
Bullington BW, Tumlinson K, Senderowicz L … +4 more , Maselko J, Arora KS, Edwards JK, Pettifor A
Stud Fam Plann · 2026 Mar · PMID 41129288 · Full text
Family planning programs in the Global South promote long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), but research suggests that women face barriers to LARC discontinuation, inhibiting their reproductive autonomy. Scholars h...
Family planning programs in the Global South promote long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), but research suggests that women face barriers to LARC discontinuation, inhibiting their reproductive autonomy. Scholars have called for improved data visibility around LARC removal access. We use data from the Postpartum Intrauterine Device (PPIUD) Study, a randomized trial of a PPIUD intervention conducted in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania from 2015 to 2018. Among women who adopted PPIUDs, we describe PPIUD status (in-use, expelled, deliberately removed) at three follow-up points. We report the proportion of participants who sought PPIUD removal and, among those, whether they faced barriers to removal. About three-quarters of 5370 participants had their PPIUD in use 18 months following insertion; one-fifth had their PPIUD deliberately removed, and 6 percent had their PPIUD expelled. Of the 22 percent of participants who sought PPIUD removal, a quarter faced a barrier to removal; most barriers were provider-imposed. In conjunction with existing literature, our findings highlight that barriers to LARC removal are structural, rooted in larger public health and demographic goals that aim to promote contraceptive uptake. We call for safeguards to ensure that people who desire LARC removal can discontinue their method.
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