- What do you think are the reasons of high unmet need of FP in the Philippines?
In the Philippines, The unmet need for family planning among married women of reproductive age was 17% in 2017 and amongst unmarried sexually active women, the unmet need rises to 49%. As a result, 68% unintended pregnancies occur in women not using any method and 24% to those using traditional methods (Bellizzi et al., 2019). These were cased by a wide range of barriers to access to family planning methods.
A 2013 survey has showed that maintenance of virginity until marriage is important for 83% of the women which discourages use of contraceptives due to implication of having premarital sex when obtaining it. Infrequent sex is commonly stated as a reason by women with an unintended pregnancy did not use modern methods. There is also the citing of concerns of modern methods causing weight loss, chemical toxicity, bleeding, buildup of blood when menstruation stops, decline of physical strength, headaches, stomachaches, and fears of devices being stuck in the body. It is also worth noting that religion based barrier is only at 3-6% of women and accessibility of methods by 2-7%. In clinic visits, women are often dissatisfied as they are unable to discuss their concerns and receive insufficient information about their options. Providers also have inaccurate or out-of-date knowledge about contraceptives, which is probably why many women fear severe side effects when modern methods have lesser side effects. As a result, many women use no contraception and use other inefficient methods despite having contact with the healthcare system.
- What are ways you can suggest to increase the practice of FP in the country? Give least 1-2 suggestions.
The study of Belizzi et al. (2019) has stated that effective contraceptive options are generally available and that out-of-pocket expenditure was not a major barrier. Thus, it is important to arm our providers with the latest knowledge and resources about contraceptives. In addition, it should also be emphasized that counseling should be more client-centered, in such a way that the client will be able to engage more actively so as to help the provider in providing interventions tailored to the individual women’s needs and preferences.
Bellizzi, S., Murray, J., Kitong, J., Cabral, A. I., & Sovel, H. L. (2019). Opportunities Lost: Barriers to Increasing the use of effective contraception in the Philippines. PLoS ONE (14)7, no page. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218187