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Contraceptives

Updated WHO Guidelines for Contraceptive Care: Ensuring Access to Safe and Effective Family Planning Services

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Family planning services are a cornerstone of public health, empowering individuals to decide if and when to become pregnant, and thereby, saving lives, improving health outcomes, and strengthening communities. For nearly 30 years, the World Health Organization's (WHO) Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (MEC) and Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (SPR) have provided the foundation for this work. This November, at the seventh International Conference on Family Planning, WHO and the UN's Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP) launched the 6th edition of the MEC and the 4th edition of the SPR, updated with the latest evidence to make contraceptive care safer, more consistent, and more responsive to people's real needs.

Key Takeaways:

  • The 6th edition of the MEC and the 4th edition of the SPR provide the latest evidence-based guidance for health service providers, policymakers, and program managers to ensure that contraception is safe, effective, and rights-based.
  • The updated guidelines reflect significant advances in our understanding of contraceptive methods, including the safe use of Progestogen-only injectables immediately after childbirth, repeated use of emergency contraception within the same cycle, and the safe use of hormonal methods by women taking PrEP.
  • The MEC answers the vital question: Is this contraceptive method safe for this particular individual given their past or present medical history and their physiological status?
  • The SPR provides guidance on how to use contraceptive methods safely and effectively, complementing the MEC Wheel and the App to support informed, client-centred counselling.
  • The true power of the MEC and SPR lies in how they are used: policymakers can integrate the new guidance into training, supervision, and health system planning, while health workers can use derivative products to support informed, client-centred consultations.
  • Academic and professional associations can help ensure that future generations of providers learn to deliver contraceptive care grounded in evidence and respect.
  • The updated MEC and SPR are essential instruments for advancing quality, rights-based contraceptive care, ensuring that guidance keeps pace with innovation, equity, and the realities of diverse health-care settings.

Statistics:

  • 30 years of providing evidence-based guidance for family planning services
  • 6th edition of the MEC and 4th edition of the SPR launched in November
  • Updates reflect significant advances in understanding of contraceptive methods
  • Progestogen-only injectables can now be safely offered immediately after childbirth
  • Emergency contraception can be repeated within the same cycle
  • Hormonal methods can be safely used by women taking PrEP
  • 6 million people per day could be helped by access to modern contraceptive services
  • Every person everywhere should be able to have access to high-quality contraceptive care grounded in science and choice

Sources:

  • World Health Organization (WHO)
  • UN's Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP)
  • FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics)
  • Oregon Health & Science University
  • UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund)

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