The role of the Standard Days Method in modern family planning services in developing countries

Abstract

Background The mere availability of family planning (FP) services is not sufficient to improve reproductive health; services must also be of adequate quality. The introduction of new contraceptive methods is a means of improving quality of care. The Standard Days Method (SDM) is a new fertility-awareness-based contraceptive method that has been successfully added to reproductive health care services around the world.ContentFramed by the Bruce-Jain quality-of-care paradigm, this paper describes how the introduction of SDM in developing country settings can improve the six elements of quality while contributing to the intrinsic variety of available methods. SDM meets the needs of women and couples who opt not to use other modern methods. SDM providers are sensitised to the potential of fertility-awareness-based contraception as an appropriate choice for these clients. SDM requires the involvement of both partners and thus offers a natural entry point for providers to further explore partner communication, intimate partner violence, condoms, and HIV/STIs.ConclusionSDM introduction broadens the range of FP methods available to couples in developing countries. SDM counselling presents an opportunity for FP providers to discuss important interpersonal and reproductive health issues with potential users.

Quality of reproductive healthcare for adolescents: A nationally representative survey of providers in Mexico

“…The quality-of-care index was based on a broad theoretical framework and available instruments to carry out a comprehensive evaluation. However, although components of the index have been used previously,[ 42 , 43 ] comparability is uncertain. Another important issue is adolescent satisfaction or rating of quality-of-care, which was not taken into account in this survey.…”

Fertility Awareness Methods: Distinctive Modern Contraceptives

“…Providers who counsel on methods that require awareness and involvement of both partners, such as SDM, also develop the capacity to discuss relationship dynamics and partner communication—valuable skills regardless of the contraceptive method chosen by clients. 6 …”

Natural and traditional family planning methods

“…A woman should not use this method if she has two or more menstrual cycles which are less than 26 days or more than 32 days in one year. the pregnancy rate is 12% for typical use while the pregnancy rate is 4.6% in correct use (the effectivity of the method in correct use is 95.4% while it is 88% in typical use) [14][15][16][17].…”