Feature: Injectibles today and tomorrow
Koronadal, South Cotabato (30 May) -- More than twice as many women are using injectable contraceptives today as a decade ago, and the numbers keep growing. Injectables appeal to the many women seeks a family planning method that is effective and long-acting and can be used privately.
More and more women are using injectable contraceptives today, and very likely even more will use this method in the future as it becomes increasingly available.
Overall, awareness and use of injectables are increasing, but levels of use vary widely within regions. In Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean, over 40% of married contraceptive users rely on injectables in some countries.
Effectiveness - Used correctly, injectables are more effective than female sterilization. If women return on time for injections, in the first year or average 3 among every 1, 000 women using progestin-only injetables will become pregnant, and 5, 000 among every 10, 000 women using combined injectables.
Long-acting - Users need to remember only to have an injection every two or three months for progestin-only injectables or once a month or combined injectables. Users do not have to do something every day or when about to have sex.
Reversible – Fertility returns after a woman stops using an indictable. Woman stopping DMPA (depot progesterone acetate) to become pregnant, however, take several months longer to conceived on average than women who used other methods.
Private – Women can use injectables without anyone else knowing particularly I a partner or in-laws object to contraception.
In the next 10 years more family planning programs will offer injectables, and they will offer clients more choices o injectables. Most can be expected to offer a progestin-only injetable – DMPA injected every three months or NET-EN (noresthisterone enanthate) injected every two months.
Many will offer a combined injectable, probably either medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) combined with a estrogen estradiol cypionate (E2C) or NET-EN combined with the estrogen estradiol valerate (E2V). both injected monthly.
There are however other Modern Methods of family Planning such as Sympto-Thermal Method, Basal Body Temperature, LAM (Lactation Amenorhea Method), and Cervical Mucus Method. (wrb/PIA 12) [top]
