Obstetrics and Gynecology Commons^™

Unmet Need For Contraception And Unintended Pregnancies Among Women Of Reproductive Age Group: A Situation Analysis, Sumera Aziz Ali, Savera Aziz Ali

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Each year approximately 210 million pregnancies occur worldwide and more than one-third (75 to 80 million) of these are unintended, more than half of these (46 million) unintended pregnancies undergo unsafe abortions. In Pakistan 16% of the births are reported to be unwanted and if the unwanted fertility is eliminated, total fertility in Pakistan would be 3.1 births per woman. Total demand for family planning in Pakistan is 55%, while the contraceptive prevalence rate is 35% and unmet need for family planning is 20%. Reasons for unmet need and unintended pregnancy include lack of permission, fear of side effects, poor …

Rationale, Design, And Cohort Enrolment Of A Prospective Observational Study Of The Clinical Performance Of The New Contraceptive Implant (Femplant) In Pakistan, Syed Khurram Azmat, Waqas Hameed, Anja Lendvay, Babar Tasneem Shaikh, Ghulam Mustafa, Muhammad Ahmed Siddiqui, Sajid Brohi, Asif Karim, Muhammad Ishaque, Wajahat Hussain

Community Health Sciences

Introduction: The use of hormonal implants has gained positive traction in family planning programs in recent times. Compared to other popular methods, such as long-term reversible intrauterine devices, the use of hormonal implants as a family planning method has distinct advantages in terms of long-term efficiency and better user compliance and availability. This paper presents a study protocol to document and evaluate the efficacy, safety, and acceptability of Femplant (contraceptive implant) in Pakistan during the first year of its use among married women of reproductive age (18-44 years) at clinics in two provinces of Pakistan (Sindh and Punjab).
Materials and …

The Case For Investing In Family Planning In The Pacific: Costs And Benefits Of Reducing Unmet Need For Contraception In Vanuatu And The Solomon Islands, Elissa C. Kennedy, Sean Mackesy-Buckley, Sumi Subramaniam, Andreas Demmke, Rufina Latu, Annette Sachs Robertson, Kabwea Tiban, Apisai Tokon, Stanley Luchters

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Unmet need for family planning in the Pacific is among the highest in the world. Better understanding of required investments and associated benefits of increased access to family planning in the Pacific may assist prioritisation and funding.

Methods: We modelled the costs and associated health, demographic and economic impacts of reducing unmet need for family planning between 2010-2025 in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Baseline data were obtained from census reports, Demographic and Health Surveys, and UN agency reports. Using a demographic modelling program we compared a scenario of "no change in unmet need" with two distinct scenarios: 1) …

Family Planning Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Among Married Couples In Jimma Zone, Ethiopia, Tizta Tilahun, Gily Coene, Stanley Luchters, Wondwosen Kassahun, Els Leye, Marleen Temmerman, Olivier Degomme

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Understanding why people do not use family planning is critical to address unmet needs and to increase contraceptive use. According to the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2011, most women and men had knowledge on some family planning methods but only about 29% of married women were using contraceptives. 20% women had an unmet need for family planning. We examined knowledge, attitudes and contraceptive practice as well as factors related to contraceptive use in Jimma zone, Ethiopia.

Methods: Data were collected from March to May 2010 among 854 married couples using a multi-stage sampling design. Quantitative data based on …

Social Franchising And Vouchers To Promote Long-Term Methods Of Family Planning In Rural Pakistan: A Qualitative Stocktaking With Stakeholders, Syed Khurram Azmat, Ghulam Mustafa, Waqas Hameed, Jamshaid Asghar, Aftab Ahmed, Babar T. Shaikh

Community Health Sciences

Background: The overall use of modern contraception in Pakistan is quite low, especially in rural areas. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of social franchising (SF) approaches in increasing access to modern contraception and improving the quality of healthcare in resource-poor areas in Asia and Africa. Drawing on best practices in SF, the Marie Stopes Society (MSS) implemented an SF model in certain rural areas of Pakistan to increase access to affordable and quality family planning (FP) services. The model was branded as Suraj (sun) and complemented with an innovative voucher scheme for intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs). This paper describes …

Performance And Measurement Of A Community-Based Distribution Model Of Family Planning Services In Pakistan, Syed Khurram Azmat, Shirin Ahmed, Waqas Hameed, Mohsina Bilgrami, Ayesha Khan, Adnan Ahmad Khan, Ghulam Mustafa

Community Health Sciences

Introduction: Community-based distribution (CBD) has been successfully applied to family planning (FP) services worldwide. It forms the basis for the large lady health worker (LHW) programme in Pakistan which serves a limited number of women with contraception services. Thus, the concept has seen limited application in Pakistan. We present the outcomes of a CBD model that was implemented in 49 districts across Pakistan by a non-government organization (NGO).
Methods: The Marie Stopes Society (MSS) developed a CBD model around its fixed centres and reached around half a million married women of reproductive age (MWRA) with services. The services provided included …

Post-Abortion Care Family Planning Use In Pakistan, Syed Khurram Azmat, Waqas Hameed, Muhammad Ishaque, Ghulam Mustafa, Aftab Ahmed

Community Health Sciences

Introduction: The stagnated CPR and high unmet need for contraception lead to approximately 890,000 induced abortions every year in Pakistan. A fairly recent study from Pakistan also revealed that around 40% of abortions are performed by unskilled workers in backstreet clinics. Considering these grave statistics, it should not come as surprise that unwanted pregnancies are the leading cause of induced abortions in Pakistan. Despite country's inferior situation, there is no data available in Pakistan that unveils the much needed information pertaining to post-abortion care family planning (PAC) use. Thus, this paper attempts to document socio-demographic profile seeking post-abortion care clients; …

Barriers And Perceptions Regarding Different Contraceptives And Family Planning Practices Amongst Men And Women Of Reproductive Age In Rural Pakistan: A Qualitative Study, Syed Khurram Azmat, Ghulam Mustafa, Waqas Hameed, Muhammad Ali, Aftab Ahmed, Mohsina Bilgrami

Community Health Sciences

Background: Pakistan ranks as one of the most poorest and most populous in the world with poor reproductive health indicators. This study helps in understanding barriers and perceptions regarding Family Planning (FP), modern contraception, quality of care and free of charge FP services amongst men and women in rural Pakistan.
Methods: Employing purposive sampling and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) technique, this qualitative study was conducted with men and women of reproductive age in Pakistan. A total of eight FGDs were conducted in Sindh and Punjab provinces. Being descriptive in nature, the study provided a thematic analysis of the relevant health …

Determining The Factors Associated With Unmet Need For Family Planning: A Cross-Sectional Survey In 49 Districts Of Pakistan, Waqas Hameed, Syed Khurram Azmat, Mohsina Bilgrami, Muhammad Ishaqe

Community Health Sciences

Introduction & Background: Around 137 million women in the developing world who would like to avoid childbearing are unable to do so, despite a huge increase in contraceptive access and use globally. Ironically, the prevalence of unmet need in Pakistan is among the highest in the world despite being one of the first countries in South Asia to launch national family planning program. The aim of this paper is to estimate the prevalence of unmet need for contraception and to indentify the factors associated with it.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in forty nine districts of Pakistan across all …