Three studies of family planning markets in Egypt -- consumer profiles within market segments for family planning : analysis of the 1992 EDHS -- predicted impacts of phasing out private sector IUD subsidies on the contraceptive market in Egypt -- private providers in Egypt : characteristics, costs, and niches in the family planning market

The first study, a market segment analysis to determine whether the existing variety of public and private FP provider outlets are in competition with one another, used data from the 1992 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey to examine the fertility desires and contraceptive use patterns of 4,098 currently married women using a modern contraceptive method (IUD, pill, or condoms). Results indicate that Egypt"s modern contraceptive market is efficiently segmented; this is especially true of the IUD market. The second study was conducted because subsidized supplies of the CopperT-380A IUD will soon be exhausted and addresses the question of which strategy, maintaining existing price controls or lifting them, will cause less disruption to the contraceptive market. The study indicates that the interests of the country will best be served by lifting price controls. The goal of the last study was to design strategies to promote the participation of the private commercial sector in family planning. A total of 116 physicians and 36 pharmacists were interviewed. Results indicate that there are physicians who are ready, willing, and able to serve the social marketing consumer throughout Egypt, and that pharmacies appear to offer a wider range of prices/products than physicians.