Safety and effectiveness of contraception in China: a case-study in promotion and improvement of family planning

Overview

HRP has a long history of successful collaboration in China. WHO is widely respected in that country, and HRP benefits from its prestige. Since 1979, HRP has helped establish and strengthen a network of research institutes and provided support to build the capacity of Chinese sexual and reproductive health researchers. Today, HRP facilitates a wide array of research and capacity-building activities that are contributing in strategic ways to improve the quality of care and outcomes in family planning and sexual and reproductive health in China.

This case-study addresses one example of this long, multi-faceted collaboration: HRP’s assistance in improving the safety and effectiveness of China’s locally produced contraceptives. The terms of reference for this case-study called for examination of HRP’s role in the withdrawal of less effective IUDs (stainless-steel and copper rings) and the once-a-month oral contraceptive, in particular.