Contraception
on her own terms
Self-inject offers women and girls a highly effective, convenient, and discreet way to protect against unintended pregnancies – for three months at a time. It can be safely and easily self-administered by women in the comfort of her own home. Studies have found that when used correctly, contraceptive self-injection is 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. In Senegal and Uganda, more than 93% of women who tried self-injecting expressed the desire to continue doing so. And in Malawi, research found that self-inject users had higher rates of continuation as compared to users of provider-administered injectables.
Barriers to access and continuation persist
Even when women feel empowered to demand what they want and need, barriers to accessing modern contraceptives, including self-injection, stand in their way:
- Women lack timely, accurate and relevant information about how to access modern, effective contraceptives.
- There are stigmas and myths around contraceptives, including increased promiscuity and infertility.
- Women fear potential side effects.
- Providers may be biased against certain contraceptives, many even acting as “gatekeepers” to prevent their use.
- Pricing is inconsistent.
- Quality and availability of services and products is poor.
- Overall poor quality or availability of services and products.
- Many women have a sense of low self-efficacy to self-inject that’s linked to fear of the needle and/or uncertainty about the correct technique
