Updated family planning guide promotes empowerment, health and wellbeing – WHO

Wider access to self-administered contraceptives and the use of digital technologies by providers are just two of the tangible measures outlined in the latest edition of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidance on family planning.

15 November 2022

WHO’s updated landmark Family Planning Handbook, launched on Tuesday, informs health workers on protecting access to family planning services during emergencies, and provides policy makers with the most current information on contraceptive options.

“Family planning promotes self-actualization, empowerment, as well as health and wellbeing, and reduces maternal and infant deaths through the prevention of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion”, said Pascale Allotey, WHO’s Director for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

Continued: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130592

15.11.2022

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Family Planning Handbook

Pascale Allotey

World Health Organization

Expanding Family Planning Access In Nigeria To Reduce Maternal Mortality

By Chioma Umeha
On Sep 2, 2022

Studies have shown that expanding access to and use of family planning as a method of reducing unplanned pregnancies would help countries with high maternal mortality to curb the menace.

Unfortunately, access to and usage of contraceptives is still poor in some African countries, like Nigeria. Nearly 1.3 million unplanned births occurred in Nigeria in 2018, according to the 2018 Global Family Planning Report, while only 13.8 percent of Nigerian women used contraception during the same period.

Continued: https://independent.ng/expanding-family-planning-access-in-nigeria-to-reduce-maternal-mortality/

02.09.2022

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African Institute for Development Policy

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Global Family Planning Report

maternal mortality

Sanusi Lamido

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India Loves Children, But Ignores Reproductive Health

By Ishita Bagchi
10th February, 2022

India has made a significant progress in improving women’s and young people’s sexual and reproductive health. These advancements include the National Family Planning Programme’s expansion of the contraceptive method mix, efforts to strengthen the contraceptive supply chain, and the 2014 launch of the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (National Adolescent Health Programme), which prioritises healthy development during adolescence.

Still there are significant gaps in meeting adolescent sexual and reproductive health needs. Many adolescents have limited agency to protect and foster their sexual and reproductive health due to a lack of accurate information, provider bias, and other barriers; and obtaining comprehensive abortion care can be especially difficult. In addition, adolescents who are marginalised because of their sexuality, gender expression, or marital status face additional challenges in getting information and services. Access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care for all adolescents must be addressed to exercise their bodily autonomy and live healthy lives.

Continued: https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2022/02/sexual-and-reproductive-health-of-women-in-india/

10.02.2022

National Adolescent Health Programme

National Family Planning Programme

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Nepal – Moving mountains: The women scaling new heights to deliver safe abortion care

Abortion pills are already saving lives in Nepal – and represent a potential health revolution for women worldwide

By Jennifer Rigby and Simon Townsley
14 January 2022

Every morning, Pragati Soti Khanal packs her huge grey and blue rucksack, ready to trek through Nepal’s famous mountains.

But she is not packing crampons and climbing ropes. Instead, in go scales, vast bottles of hand sanitiser, assorted medical instruments and a plastic box filled with pill packets.

Continued: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and-girls/reproductive-health-in-nepal/

Why did she die?

Updated 03 Nov, 2021
By Neha Khan & Sadia Wali

Sakina has two daughters and two sons aged 7, 5, 3 respectively and the youngest is three months old and nursing. Sakina suddenly learns she is pregnant, as she did not use any method of family planning.

Sakina’s family is financially weak; her husband is the sole earner as a daily wage laborer and their circumstances do not allow them to have another child. Everyone Sakina consults tells her to continue with this pregnancy and use family planning methods for the future.

Continued: https://www.aaj.tv/news/30270495

The costs of post-abortion care for Tanzania

MONDAY NOVEMBER 01 2021
By Salome Gregory

There is a lot of misinformation and misconception when it comes to reproductive health and the use of family planning methods.

In the end this costs the government Sh10.4 billion per year for treating a woman with post abortion care.

Continued: https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/magazines/the-costs-of-post-abortion-care-for-tanzania-3604068

Unsafe Abortion – Time to Step-Up Family Planning Services in Nigeria

8 AUGUST 2021
Leadership (Abuja)

Unplanned pregnancy and unsafe abortion is still a problem in some societies despite the increase in effective and safe methods of contraception and the distribution of information about these methods. Unsafe abortion constitutes a major threat to the health and lives of women and children.

Unsafe abortions carry a high risk of
maternal mortality and morbidity, accounting for more than 80,000 maternal
deaths per year. Although many countries do not keep statistics on abortions,
there is evidence that millions of "legal" and illegal abortions take
place in the world every year.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202108090108.html

Papua New Guinea: Eliminate Unsafe Abortion

BY: Loop Author
August 6, 2021

Marie Stopes PNG, the country’s largest provider of family planning and sexual and reproductive health services says more needs to be done to eliminate unsafe abortion in PNG.

MSPNG Country Director, Dr David Ayres raised concerns in relation to an incident recently reported in the news about a young lady, only 16-years old, who lost her life because of an unplanned pregnancy, which she was trying to abort.

Continued: https://www.looppng.com/png-news/eliminate-unsafe-abortion-103043

Family Planning: Nigeria records 2.5m unintended pregnancies annually – Official

If good measures are taken, the annual number of unplanned births would decrease from 885,000 to 200,000 and the number of abortions would drop from 1.3 million to 287,000,” the official said.

By Nike Adebowale
July 7, 2021

Due to what they described as unmet needs of contraceptives in Nigeria, health experts have said Nigeria annually records about 2.5 million cases of unintended pregnancy.

The duo of Christopher Aimakhu, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Oyo State, and Abubakar Panti, a professor in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, gave some startling statistics about family planning in Nigeria on Wednesday.

Continued: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/472212-family-planning-nigeria-records-2-5m-unintended-pregnancies-annually-official.html

Nigeria: Family Planning Saves Lives – We Need to Spread the Message to Men and Women

1 JULY 2021
By Tijani Salami

A year ago, I met a 26-year-old breastfeeding mother who was a graduate student. She was married with three children; the youngest was just eight months old. She started using oral contraceptives after the return of her menses following the birth, but she hid the pills from her husband. When he discovered them, he forced her to throw them away.

Not long after that, she conceived again. Three months later, she had a miscarriage caused by stress. She was admitted into hospital with infection and blood loss. Thankfully, she survived, and her husband has since changed his attitude towards contraceptive use.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202107010580.html