Maternal Child Program India

The program aims to address the unmet need for contraception, which is estimated to be 20.5% of women who want to prevent or delay future pregnancies but are not using contraception. Ensuring healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies is a key intervention for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCHA). The global use of oral contraceptive pills is estimated to be 8% among married women, with 100 million users worldwide. In the United States, oral contraceptives are the most common form of reversible contraception, and in Africa, Europe, Australia, the South Pacific Islands, and New Zealand, they are the number one contraceptive method. Despite the safety and effectiveness of oral contraceptives, their use in India is relatively low, at 4% of women, according to the District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS) 3, 2007-2008. Research has shown that increasing the number of contraceptive options available can lead to higher acceptance rates. The resurgence of interest in postpartum family planning (PPFP) and the increase in institutional deliveries suggest that oral contraceptives, which are safe for breastfeeding women and soon after delivery, have good potential as a PPFP option. The existing oral contraceptives in the Family Planning basket of choice include Combined Oral Contraceptives (COCs) and the Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP. The Government of India has introduced new oral pills in the National Family Planning Program, including Progestin-only Pills (POPs) for spacing births, which can be used by postpartum and breastfeeding women. Centchroman (Ormeloxifene) is a non-hormonal option for spacing births, which is safe for lactating women. The introduction of these new options aims to expand the contraceptive mix and increase the use of modern methods, particularly for postpartum and breastfeeding women.