Topic: Reproductive Health

Family Planning Is a Crucial Investment for Kenya's Health and Development
In just over four decades, Kenya's population has nearly quadrupled in size. The Kenya Population Data Sheet 2011 illustrates this dramatic growth since the mid-20th century, as mortality declined and births rates remained high. Family planning is a "win-win" for both health and wealth. Although the government has made some exciting advancements, there is more that needs to be done to prevent unintended pregnancies. (February 2012)

Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar Connect Family Planning With Environmental Health
Two programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar show how conservation and environmental initiatives can help extend reproductive health care to women and communities that are remote and well beyond the range of existing health care systems. These programs show the overlapping benefits attained when responding to the needs of local communities, improving environmental sustainability, and ensuring women and families' health. (January 2012)

Views From the 2011 International Conference on Family Planning: Interview With Sarah Boseley, The Guardian
Sarah Boseley, health editor at the newspaper The Guardian, attended the International Conference on Family Planning in Dakar, Senegal, in November 2011. The conference brought together over 2,000 researchers and advocates dedicated to improving the lives of women and families through reproductive health. In this audio interview, Sarah Boseley shares her perspectives on what she learned from the conference and from the local women she met, the importance of supporting family planning programs, and what she feels are the world's biggest public health challenges. (January 2012)

Family Planning and the Environment: Interview With Robert Engelman, Worldwatch Institute
Family planning is a cost-effective way to improve people's lives that also benefits the environment. Yet this link has often been seen as controversial or viewed as irrelevant to environmental policy. In this interview, Robert Engelman, president of Worldwatch Institute, discusses how family planning can benefit the environment and why the gap between population and environmental concerns persists. (January 2012)

Integrating Family Planning With Conservation in Madagascar: Interview With Vik Mohan, Blue Ventures
In this video interview, Vik Mohan of the UK-based marine conservation organization Blue Ventures describes the population and environment challenges of rural coastal Madagascar and how Blue Ventures has successfully integrated family planning with ongoing conservation work. (January 2012)

Vasectomy an Option for African Men in Family Planning
Only 3 percent of couples worldwide use vasectomy as their primary contraceptive method, even though it is permanent, safe, and cost-effective—and the only long-acting contraception available for men. The rate is even lower in sub-Saharan Africa: Less than 0.1 percent of married women rely on a partner's vasectomy as a contraceptive method. However, according to EngenderHealth, a smattering of sub-Saharan African countries have vasectomy services: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. (December 2011)

Latest Demographic and Health Surveys Show Varied Progress in Health and Fertility
PRB senior demographer Carl Haub's series of blog posts have summarized data on reproductive health and maternal and child health from recently released Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for a number of developing countries: Nepal, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Malawi, and Senegal. Haub also reported on new information from Vietnam, Poland, Russia, India, China, and Taiwan. (November 2011)

A Journalist's Guide to Sexual and Reproductive Health in East Africa
Sexual and reproductive health encompasses health and well-being in matters related to sexual relations, pregnancies, and births. It deals with the most intimate and private aspects of people's lives, which can be difficult to write about and discuss publicly. As a result, the public often misunderstands many sexual and reproductive health matters. The media play a critical role in bringing sexual and reproductive health matters to the attention of people who can influence public health policies. This guide aims to help journalists educate the public and policymakers on these issues by bringing together the latest available data on sexual and reproductive health for seven East African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. (September 2011)

PRB Discuss Online: Integrating Family Planning and Maternal/Child Health Services in Russia
In countries where integration of family planning and maternal child health is a key element of the health system, birth rates have fallen as more women have been able to avoid unintended pregnancies. But a number of challenges face the integration of services, including resistance to change from government leaders and society in general. In the case of Russia, John Snow, Inc. overcame such obstacles to implement a comprehensive family planning and maternal child health project, now managed by an autonomous nongovernmental organization, the Institute for Family Health. In a PRB Discuss Online, Natalia Vartapetova, chief of party, Institutionalizing Best Practices in Maternal and Child Health Project in the Russian Federation, JSI; and Asta-Maria Kenney, senior advisor, JSI, answered questions from participants about how JSI overcame resistance to family planning in Russia. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (August 2011)

Integrating Reproductive Health and HIV Services: Fact Sheet
Many studies have recommended integrating reproductive health and HIV services because sexually active individuals have overlapping needs: They are at risk of both unintended pregnancies and HIV infection. A 2009 World Health Organization review of the studies on this issue found that integrating family planning and HIV services leads to higher-quality and better used services and is cost-effective. However, linking the services, whether in one integrated facility or through referrals, faces political as well as programmatic challenges. This fact sheet outlines the benefits and challenges of integrating family planning and HIV services. (August 2011)