By Jay Gribble and Sara Stratton Contraceptive discontinuation is a complex issue, in part because there are many reasons it happens. Understanding and measuring discontinuation is especially challenging because it is a fluid process over the course of a woman’s life — she can start, discontinue, and switch contraceptive methods…

By Sara Stratton Worldwide, there are over 13 contraceptive methods with numerous variations in doses and brands, but not all countries offer all methods to women and men. For a woman to find the “right” contraceptive, and continue using it, different aspects of the health system need to function well…

By Erin McGinn For decades, research on contraceptive discontinuation has reported that the key reasons women stop using contraception are stock outs, service delivery issues, and “method-related concerns” — which can include health concerns, side effects, problems of cost or access, or desire for a more effective method. In fact…

By Elisabeth Rottach and Rahal Saeed Historically, family planning programs have placed significant effort on increasing uptake of contraceptives. But less emphasis has been placed on helping individuals to continue using the method of their choice. Yet choosing to use a contraceptive method — be it short- or long-acting —…

By Jay Gribble Just as good counseling can have a positive effect on the uptake of modern contraception, poor counseling and quality of services can contribute to their discontinuation. One key reason people discontinue a contraceptive method is because of side effects and health concerns — issues that should be…

By: Paul Abonyo, Atamandike Chingwanda, and Eduardo Gonzalez-Pier Health financing plays a critical role in explaining the discontinuation of contraceptive use. Data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) have shown that discontinuation rates among women and couples trying to avoid pregnancy have remained stubbornly high in the past decade. In…

By: Marilyn Noguera Before human rights were enshrined in family planning, another set of rights were critical to keeping commodity security a priority for countries. Referred to as “the Six Rights,” these still crucial rights summarize the purpose of a supply chain as delivering the right product, in the right…

By: Rebecca Ross Contraceptive use improves women’s health and is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals — especially goal 3, to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” The global health community gives particular attention and effort to reducing unmet need for contraception and expanding…

By: Jay Gribble and Sara Stratton The launch of the FP2030 partnership provides a renewed focus on the importance of responding to the family planning needs of women and couples. Much attention is given to reducing unmet need by ensuring that women who do not want to become pregnant are…