CONTENTS

         Chapters
  1. Thirty Years of Family Planning Programs
  2. Family Planning Demand
  3. Contraceptive Access
  4. Choice of Contraceptive Methods
  5. Client-Centered Quality
  6. Communication
  7. Well-Trained Providers
  8. Program Leadership and Strategic Management
  9. Research and Evaluation
  10. Political Commitment
  11. Financial Resources
Population Reports is published by the Population Information Program, Center for Communication Programs, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202-4012, USA


Volume XXII, Number 2
August, 1994
 Choice of Contraceptive Methods
3 Offering a range of contraceptive methods provides more choices and attracts more clients.
Making only one or two contraceptive methods widely available is better than failing to provide family planning at all. But only a range of effective methods can meet people's diverse needs and serve individuals over their reproductive lifetimes.

Successful family planning programs provide as many different contraceptive methods as possible. "As any marketing expert will tell us, the more choices, the more likely the consumer is to select one of the available options" (262). In 12 of the 14 countries considered to have the strongest family planning programs, no single method accounts for as much as half of all modern contraceptive use (109).

Adding Methods Adds Clients

Among the first lessons learned by family planning programs in developing countries was that each new method introduced attracts new contraceptive users and thus raises contraceptive prevalence. Pioneered by USAID in the 1960s and 1970s, the concept of "providing information about and access to a wide range of appropriate family planning methods" remains equally important today (196). Studies of programs in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand have demonstrated that adding new methods attracts more users (46, 48) (see Figure 1).

Each contraceptive method has advantages and disadvantages. No single method is appropriate for everybody. The more methods offered, the more likely that each client will find a satisfactory one and that clients will be able to shift to new methods as their circumstances change (18, 73, 78 , 208, 232, 251, 263). Also, the availability of suitable methods affects people's motivation to space births and to limit family size as they became aware that it is convenient to practice family planning (46).


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