Family Planning Saves Lives, Celebrating World Contraception Day

On November 24, Nicaragua celebrated World Contraception Day with a mini-fair at the National Autonomous University (UNAN) in Managua.  The fair, sponsored by USAID, highlighted the achievements in improved access to family planning services and in the reduction in fertility and infant and maternal mortality rates in Nicaragua. 

Family Planning saves the lives of women and children, reducing the number of high risk-pregnancies and increasing medical interventions in these pregnancies, directly contributing to a reduction of infant and maternal mortality.  Experts estimate that avoiding unwanted pregnancies could reduce maternal deaths by 20% in developing countries.

In 1985, every Nicaraguan woman had, on average, six children, one of the highest fertility rates in Latin America.  Twenty-four years later, due to the increase in access to family planning services and the use of modern contraceptive methods, this rate has decreased by 50%-- to three children for each woman, ranking Nicaragua at the second lowest fertility rate in Central America.

Despite these advances, adolescent fertility rates remain very high.  The majority of adolescent mothers are found in rural areas in the Atlantic Regions and in the Departments of Rio San Juan, Jinotega, Nueva Segovia and Matagalpa, among the poorest populations, with little education.  Statistically, children born to women under the age of 18 have a 24% higher probability of dying in the first month of life.

Likewise, shorter birth intervals, especially those under 18 months, are directly related to an increased risk of infant mortality of up to 70%. 

Many health actions in Nicaragua, including strengthening Family Planning services, have been supported by the people and the government of the United States of America.  Since 1991, the U.S. government has donated $200 million dollars in support to the Health sector, of which one third has been used to strengthen the supply and provision of contraceptive services.   

This assistance has been carried out by the DELIVER, PRONICASS, HCI and FAMISALUD projects through donation of modern contraceptives for women of reproductive age and technical assistance to the Ministry of Health, the Social Security Institute and non-governmental organizations, all financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).