Counseling for injectables and other contraceptive methods is crucial. Women are more likely to continue a method when they have received good counseling and know what to expect. Also, if informed about other methods, clients are more likely to switch to another method rather than stop using contraception if they are unhappy with their first choice (9, 256). Of course, counseling cannot be the only way that people obtain information about injectables and other family planning methods. A wide range of channels, from community meetings to broadcast media, supports and enhances face-to-face communication between providers and the public (see Chapter 8, Communicating with the Public).

In a clinic an overview of family planning methods may be presented during education sessions for groups of clients. In individual counseling, providers can make sure that clients understand the information given to the group, help the client choose a method, and provide information that helps clients use the method—for example, the date of the next injection and likely side effects. In fact, many women come to the clinic knowing what method they want. If they obtain that method, they tend to use it longer than women given methods that they did not want (238).

Injectables pose a number of difficult counseling issues, some of which are posed by other contraceptives as well. Providers may need help in deciding what to say about:

• The range of side effects of injectables,
• Bleeding changes,
• Breast cancer,
• Delay in return of fertility, and
• Returning late or early for injections.