Scaling up postpregnancy family planning: practical guide
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World Health Organization
Abstract
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viii, 39 p.
This practical guide developed by the World Health Organization provides evidence-based approaches to scaling up postpregnancy family planning, defined as the use of contraception following childbirth or abortion to prevent unintended or closely spaced pregnancies. It responds to persistent gaps in access to contraceptive services during the postpartum and post-abortion periods, despite their critical importance for reducing maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality and advancing reproductive rights. The guide is intended for policy-makers, programme managers and other stakeholders involved in strengthening sexual and reproductive health programmes and achieving universal health coverage. The document outlines a flexible framework for scaling up interventions across WHO’s six health system building blocks: leadership and governance, financing, health workforce, service delivery, information systems, and medicines and technologies. It presents guiding principles centred on human rights, equity, community engagement, adaptability and a holistic systems approach. Practical strategies and country examples illustrate how to address common barriers such as weak integration into health services, limited resources and insufficient provider capacity. The guide also emphasizes the importance of monitoring, evaluation and learning to support continuous improvement, and aligns recommended approaches with existing WHO guidelines to support sustainable, context-specific implementation.
This practical guide developed by the World Health Organization provides evidence-based approaches to scaling up postpregnancy family planning, defined as the use of contraception following childbirth or abortion to prevent unintended or closely spaced pregnancies. It responds to persistent gaps in access to contraceptive services during the postpartum and post-abortion periods, despite their critical importance for reducing maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality and advancing reproductive rights. The guide is intended for policy-makers, programme managers and other stakeholders involved in strengthening sexual and reproductive health programmes and achieving universal health coverage. The document outlines a flexible framework for scaling up interventions across WHO’s six health system building blocks: leadership and governance, financing, health workforce, service delivery, information systems, and medicines and technologies. It presents guiding principles centred on human rights, equity, community engagement, adaptability and a holistic systems approach. Practical strategies and country examples illustrate how to address common barriers such as weak integration into health services, limited resources and insufficient provider capacity. The guide also emphasizes the importance of monitoring, evaluation and learning to support continuous improvement, and aligns recommended approaches with existing WHO guidelines to support sustainable, context-specific implementation.
Keywords
Pregnancy, Postpartum Period, Family Planning Services, Contraception, Contraceptive Agents, Abortion, Induced, Reproductive Health Services, Maternal Health Services, Adolescent Health Services, Pregnancy, Unplanned, Birth Intervals, Health Planning, Health Services Accessibility, Health Systems Plans, Quality of Health Care, Gender Equity, Women's Rights, Reproductive Rights, Cultural Competency, Community Participation, Information Systems, Health Workforce, Conflict of Interest, Guideline, prevention and control, organization and administration, adverse effects