Elements of Family Planning Success

Family Health International (FHI) is pleased to announce publication of a supplement of the journal AIDS that addresses critical gaps in the evidence base on family planning and HIV service integration. The supplement covers research being conducted in three broad areas:

1) Behavioral research examining contraceptive practices and fertility desires of HIV-positive women and couples
2) Biomedical research addressing the safety and effectiveness of contraceptive methods for HIV-positive women

The World Health Organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Family Health International have produced this document to help leaders of international public health programs integrate family planning (FP) and HIV services in a strategic and systematic manner.

This paper focuses specifically on the prevention of unintended pregnancies in HIV-infected women who do not wish to become pregnant as an effective strategy for reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV

The pilot was designed using ACQUIRE’s FP-ART integration framework, which outlines five levels of integrating FP into HIV services. Facilities can choose from the levels, and can add to them progressively, depending on their capabilities and resource (Farrell, 2007). TASO/M integrated to Level C. It provides four modern FP methods—condoms (already offered for HIV/STI prevention), oral contraceptives, injectables, and emergency contraceptive pills—along with referrals for long-acting and permanent methods (LAPMs) to the Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, located a few yards from TASO/M.

EngenderHealth announces a new publication, Sexual and Reproductive Health of Women and Girls Living with HIV: Guidance for Program Managers, Health Workers and Activists. Based on experiences in Brazil, this resource offers guidance and recommendations for creating programs that protect and promote the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls living with HIV and AIDS in four key areas:

• Creating a political and social environment that respects, protects and promotes sexual and reproductive rights;

On May 12th, ACCESS-FP hosted a meeting on the topic of "Postpartum Family Planning: Sharing Experiences, Lessons Learned and Tools for Programming." Presentations from the meeting are now available on our website.

A report from the meeting will be available in the next month. Most of the documents distributed during the meeting as well as a number of other PPFP related tools are resources are available in our new "PPFP Toolkit" that can be accessed at http://www.ppfp-toolkit.org/: The toolkit will be continuously updated with new resources related to PPFP.

The Private Sector Partnerships-One (PSP-One) project and the World Health Organization’s Department of Reproductive Health and Research (WHO/RHR) continue to work together in support of increasing access to reproductive health and family planning (RH/FP) through the private health sector in Africa. In December 2006, PSP-One and WHO/RHR co-sponsored a consultation meeting on Public Policy and Reproductive Health Franchising and produced a joint guidance note on the evidence and future direction of private provider networks and franchising of RH/FP services.

Funding for international family planning programs in developing countries has declined by 30% since the mid-1990s. Decisions by policymakers and donors to reduce investments in contraceptive services and supplies were based on plausible-sounding—but misguided—arguments. “Donor fatigue” and persistent opposition from conservative governments and institutions contribute this decline.

This Population Council news release exposes some common myths about family planning, and reveals the facts.

The intended audience for this handbook includes reproductive health (RH) program managers and government and NGO policy makers. It can be used in countries where ECPs are not currently available, as well as in contexts where the intention is to expand or mainstream access to existing ECP services. The handbook:

- Recognizes the different needs of diverse segments of the population, and places additional emphasis on targeting ECP services to “special groups,” which include rape survivors and adolescents.

The Assessing Integration Methodology (AIM) was developed by the Population Council to guide decisions regarding the feasibility, quality, and effectiveness of specific service combinations. The AIM handbook covers integration of family planning with the following services:

HIV counseling and testing
Postabortion care
Antenatal care
Detection and management of sexually transmitted infections
Postpartum care