Barbara Deller from the MCHIP Family Planning team led a roundtable session at the 38th Annual International Conference on Global Health in Washington, DC, about Postpartum IUCD. The presentation focused on findings from a 2010 follow-up study about PPIUCD services and women’s experience with PPIUCD insertion in Embu, Kenya. Some key lessons include:

• Providers were knowledgeable about PPFP and PPIUCD, found clients to be satisfied, and reported misconceptions at the community level about PPIUCD
• Women had experienced a positive life change since having PPIUCD and would promote its usage in their communities
• Money is not a barrier to use
• According to clients, manual insertion did not result in more pain, and data collected did not indicate a higher expulsion rate for manual insertion. 

Some recommended steps to take following this research include:

• Policymakers and ministry officials need to invest more effort in roll-out and expansion of this PPIUCD initiative as it requires sustainable resources for long-term commitment.
• Service providers, hospital managers, and program implementers need to support nurse/midwives because they can confidently provide quality PPIUCD services and counseling for PPFP. 
• Negative attitudes and misconceptions related to the IUCD could be addressed through community-based activities, particularly through sharing positive experiences from satisfied PPIUCD users.

   

Click here to view the presentation.