International Family Planning Perspectives articles from December 2002

International Family Planning Perspectives archives from December 2002

Vaginal use of pill reduces side effects. (Update).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The vaginal route of pill use is better tolerated than the oral route, according to a clinical trial conducted at a family planning clinic in Tehran, Iran. (1) The study participants-143 fertile women aged 18-40 who were not lactating, had not...

Deficits in maternal health care. (Update).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Maternal health programs in many developing countries are highly inadequate, especially in rural areas, according to ratings from in-country experts in 1999-2000. (1) The rating system, which covers policy and support services, facility...

The toll of unwanted pregnancy. (Update).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Over the six years following the UN International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), unwanted pregnancies led to the deaths of nearly 700,000 women worldwide, accounting for about 21% of maternal mortality. (1) According to...

Physical abuse linked to low birth weight. (Update).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Women who are physically abused by a partner during pregnancy have an increased risk of delivering a low-birth-weight infant, according to a case-control study conducted at a hospital in Leon, Nicaragua, between July and October 1996. (1)...

Condom donations are shrinking. (Update).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The number of condoms donated each year to developing countries has fallen during the past decade, from 970 million to 950 million, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (1) In particular, the U.S. donation decreased...

Who engages in sexual risk behavior? (Update).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... In southern Brazil, behaviors that carry a high risk of contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted infections are concentrated among women who are young, are formerly married, have little education and are smokers. (1) Data collected from...

HIV and intimate partner violence. (Update).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Of women who attended a voluntary HIV counseling and testing clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, those who were HIV-positive were more likely than those who were not to have experienced physical violence from their current partner and from...

India's Supreme Court. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... India's Supreme Court has ordered state and territorial governments to act against unregistered clinics that advertise the use of ultrasound testing for sex selection. Noting that state governments had been ordered in February 2002 to impound...

Ethiopian hospitals. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Of women admitted to Ethiopian hospitals, more die from complications arising from illegal abortion than from any other cause except tuberculosis, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO estimates that 70% of Ethiopian women...

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (In Brief).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... According to a report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), donor contributions for contraceptive services are not keeping pace with increases in demand. The organization estimates that each $1 million shortfall in commodity support...

Reproductive choices for Asian adolescents: a focus on contraceptive behavior. (Articles).
December 1, 2002... CONTEXT: Adolescents constitute a large and growing proportion of many Asian populations; thus, their knowledge and use of contraceptives have major implications for both public health and population growth. METHODS: Data from Demographic...

Reconciling cost recovery with health equity concerns in a context of gender inequality and poverty: findings from a new family health initiative in Bangladesh.
December 1, 2002... CONTEXT: Following new government and donor mandates, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Bangladesh have changed their strategy for providing family planning and other basic health services. The new service delivery model relies on clinics...

Knowledge and opinions about abortion law among Mexican youth.
December 1, 2002... CONTEXT: Mexican states' abortion laws vary, but in all states and the Federal District, induced abortions are legal in same circumstances. Public knowledge and opinions about abortion laws affect access to safe services. METHODS: Survey...

Accessibility and use of contraceptives in Vietnam.
December 1, 2002... CONTEXT: Accessibility of contraceptives is an important factor in use of family planning. Because contraceptive access in Vietnam varies sizably by region and because one method (the IUD) predominates in Vietnam's contraceptive method mix, a...

Donor dealings: the impact of international donor aid on sexual and reproductive health services. (Viewpoint).
December 1, 2002... Since the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, international donors to population and AIDS programs have been called on to respond to the ICPD goals for expanded and holistic reproductive health services....

In search of seamless transition to post-lactational amenorrhea method contraception. (Viewpoint).
December 1, 2002... Since the early 1990s, the lactational amenorrhea method has been considered an effective form of postpartum contraception, worthy of inclusion in international guidance documents, training efforts and national family planning programs. The...

Clinical diagnosis of cervical infection is less accurate than lab testing, but leads to higher treatment rate. (Digests).
December 1, 2002... Although the use of clinical signs and symptoms is less likely than laboratory testing to identify women with cervical infections, it leads to treatment of more infected women because treatment can be provided immediately. (1) According to a...

Breast cancer risk is reduced by 4% for each year of breastfeeding. (Digests).
December 1, 2002... For every 12 months that a woman breastfeeds, her risk of breast cancer declines by 4%, according to an analysis of 47 epidemiologic studies in 30 countries; this reduction is essentially the same in developing and developed countries, and for...

For Chinese men, education increases STI stigmatization but not delay of treatment. (Digests).
December 1, 2002... Among men with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) being treated at clinics in Hefei, China, eight in 10 felt stigmatized because of their infection and three in 10 had had STI symptoms for more than a week before seeking medical attention....

Effects of higher clinic fees on demand and revenue vary by type of service. (Digests).
December 1, 2002... An increase in client fees for family planning and reproductive health services of a nonprofit program in Ecuador resulted in a loss in demand but a gain in revenue for three of the four main services offered. (1) When clinics of the Centros...

In Zimbabwe, sexual relationships with older men put young women at high risk of HIV infection. (Digests).
December 1, 2002... Among young people in Zimbabwe, the risk of HIV infection rises with the cumulative number of sexual partners and decreases with rising age at first intercourse. (1) In addition, the risk of infection is six times as high among women as it is...

Conflict in a relationship before sterilization may lead to desire for reversal. (Digests).
December 1, 2002... Only a small minority of women who are protected by contraceptive sterilization express regret about that method choice, regardless of whether they or their husbands have had the surgery, according to findings from a prospective, multicenter...