The PACE Project is delighted to announce the launch of a new best practices policy brief on sustaining youth contraceptive use. The brief is available in English and French here.
In many countries, youth ages 15 to 24 have higher rates of contraceptive discontinuation than older women. Youth may be particularly sensitive to side effects and face significant barriers to accessing quality family planning care, including provider bias. Policies that support high-quality counseling, active follow up mechanisms between appointments, and access to the full complement of contraceptive methods are best practices for sustaining youth contraceptive use.
The brief explores the unique patterns and drivers of contraceptive discontinuation among youth based on new analysis of Demographic and Health Survey and Service Provision Assessment data. It outlines policy and program strategies to address obstacles to contraceptive continuation among young women who wish to prevent, delay, or space pregnancies.
Please reach out to Cathryn Streifel, the author of the policy brief, at cstreifel@prb.org with any questions or expressions of interest.