Vasectomy is a safe and effective contraceptive method that offers benefits for individuals and heterosexual couples who know they do not want to have any—or any more—children. According to Breakthrough ACTION, a USAID-funded project that develops and tests new tools for social and behavior change in family planning and reproductive health, increasing access to vasectomy would increase method choice, improve family planning and reproductive health outcomes, and promote gender equality by providing an opportunity for men to share responsibility for reproduction.
Before this remarkable year ends, we’re taking a look back at the most popular Global Health: Science and Practice Journal (GHSP) articles on voluntary family planning in the last year according to you—our readers—that garnered the most reads, citations, and attention.
On September 17, the Method Choice Community of Practice, led by the Evidence to Action (E2A) Project, hosted a webinar on the intersection of two important voluntary family planning areas—method choice and self-care. Missed this webinar? Read on for a recap, and follow the links below to watch the recording.
The chronicle of Malawi’s rapid, efficient introduction of self-injected subcutaneous DMPA (DMPA-SC) into the method mix is a model of teamwork and coordination. Although this process typically takes about 10 years, Malawi achieved it in fewer than three. Self-injected DMPA-SC epitomizes the ideal of self-care by empowering women to learn how to inject themselves, and has the added benefit of helping clients avoid busy clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Donors and a small group of implementing partners are working to understand how to best support and involve drug shops as safe and reliable family planning providers. Expanding the broader community of family planning professionals’ understanding of the drug shop operators’ impact is going to be important for ensuring a supportive policy and programmatic environment for these providers.
As the decade comes to a close, Knowledge SUCCESS reflects on 10 defining achievements that have shaped and continue to inform family planning programs and services.
The microneedle patch consists of hundreds of tiny needles in a device the size of a coin. A microneedle contraceptive patch is being developed by FHI 360 and other partners.