What do you think are the reasons of high unmet need of FP in the Philippines?
Unmet need for family planning refers to a discrepancy between expressed fertility goals and contraceptive practice. For example, a woman is considered to have an unmet need if they are sexually active and wants to avoid pregnancy but is not using any contraception.
In 2014, it is estimated that 225 million women in developing regions had an unmet need for modern contraception. Such a huge unmet need creates profound health implications. Every year, there are 74 million recorded unintended pregnancies in developing regions, 52 million of these are among women using no contraception or a traditional method. Unwanted pregnancies may lead to unsafe abortions which may detrimentally affect maternal and child health.
Some of the reasons of high unmet need of FP in the Philippines according to Guttmacher Institute are:
- Sexual activity and fecundity. This is correlated with the women’s perceptions of the risk of pregnancy. They believe that they have little to no risk of conceiving if they have sex infrequently or not at all, if they are experiencing postpartum amenorrhea, or if they are breastfeeding.
- Opposition to contraception. The opposition stems from conservative social values, religious beliefs, and concerns about certain attributes of various methods.
- Side effects, health risks, and inconvenience. Based on the study, the concerns of the women do not necessarily emanate from local cultures and practices and have more to do with the method themselves and their experience. This could be from experience, hearsay, or they are just simply afraid that the procedure could be harmful.
In addition to the aforementioned, Machiyama, et. al., also identified the following reasons in their multi-cohort study:
- Weak or inconsistent or ambivalent fertility preferences. Weak commitment or motivation to avoid pregnancy prevents women from overcoming even minimal barriers to practicing contraception.
- Partner-related factors. Substantial differences between couples regarding contraception often result in nonuse. The partner’s perceived or actual fertility preferences, attitudes to contraception, and communication may influence the woman’s decision-making autonomy.
References:
Hussain R et al., Unmet Need for Contraception in Developing Countries: Examining Women’s Reasons for Not Using a Method, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2016, http://www.guttmacher.org/report/unmet-need-for-contraception-in-develop....
Machiyama, K., Casterline, J.B., Mumah, J.N. et al. Reasons for unmet need for family planning, with attention to the measurement of fertility preferences: protocol for a multi-site cohort study. Reprod Health 14, 23 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-016-0268-z
What are ways you can suggest to increase the practice of FP in the country? Give least 1-2 suggestions.
- Educating and empowering women. As mentioned above, one of the concerns of women regarding family planning is its possible risks and side effects. By providing education, such concerns and misconceptions are cleared and clarified. This would help increase women’s knowledge which would empower them to make informed choices and use contraception more effectively. This would also help in reducing misinformation regarding the practice of family planning since women highly consider the experiences of their peers when it comes to decision-making.
- Strengthening the health system. Sexual and reproductive health services should be an utmost priority of the national and district-level governments. A such, political and financial commitment of the government is required to secure and offer contraceptives as a human right in the health system. Domestic funds and resources must be allocated to contraception, fostering an enabling environment to ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls.
Reference:
Belanger, E. & Mutunga, A. (2016). 4 ways to strengthen family planning programs. devex.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022 from https://www.devex.com/news/4-ways-to-strengthen-family-planning-programs-88811