{"id":5780,"date":"2021-10-21T15:50:08","date_gmt":"2021-10-21T15:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/20-essential-resources-self-care-for-family-planning\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T12:48:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:48:51","slug":"20-essential-resources-self-care-for-family-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/fr\/20-essential-resources-self-care-for-family-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Essential Resources: Self-Care for Family Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What is self-care?<\/h3>\n

Individual rights and choice have always been fundamental to the practice of family planning, especially the right to make and act on informed decisions about using contraception and having children.<\/p>\n

As health systems grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises, the urgency of centering people as advocates for their own health, including their sexual and reproductive health, has never been greater. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-care<\/a> as \u201cthe ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health-care provider.\u201d Also according to WHO, half of the world\u2019s population do not have access to the healthcare they need. Adequately supported self-care, including for family planning, will play a key role in ensuring the world can achieve universal health coverage (UHC)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Products, information, and technologies for self-care can include: high-quality medicines, devices, tools to test and diagnose, and digital health interventions. They can be provided within or outside of a health-care facility, and with or without the direct support of a health worker.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>[rs_blockquote cite=”Manjulaa Narasimhan, Scientist at WHO Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research”]Whether it\u2019s for their experience of pregnancy and childbirth; managing fertility intentions, preventing sexually transmitted infections; enjoying better sexual health of themselves or their partner, or self-monitoring their blood pressure, access to quality self-care interventions can help meet people\u2019s many health needs and rights.[\/rs_blockquote]
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Self-care in family planning<\/h3>\n

Self-care is a natural fit for family planning and specifically refers to the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote and maintain sexual health and prevent or space pregnancies, with or without the support of a health-care provider. New medical and digital tools, products, and services allow individuals, particularly women and adolescent girls, to assess and manage their own needs in their homes or communities with support from health providers and health systems that prepares them to have greater control and decision-making in their sexual and reproductive health care. This approach creates multiple benefits not only for women and girls themselves, but also potentially for health systems.<\/p>\n

WHO’s latest 2021 self-care guidance<\/a> features several recommendations for high-quality family planning services. Recommendations include:<\/p>\n