Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended wider access to contraceptive options, saying an estimated 164 million women who want to delay or avoid pregnancy are not currently using contraception.
The recommendation was contained in new WHO guidelines released on Wednesday to help countries expand access to safe and effective contraceptive methods and give people more options suited to their individual needs.
The guidance recommends alternative ways of using existing contraceptives, including taking combined oral contraceptive pills for extended periods of up to six months or continuously for up to one year.
WHO also supports the use of contraceptive implants for up to five years, saying longer use could reduce replacement procedures, clinic visits and associated costs.
The agency has also recommended mifepristone as an additional emergency contraception option when taken as soon as possible and within five days of unprotected sex.
According to WHO, evidence shows that mifepristone at doses of 10–50mg is likely to be as safe and effective as other emergency contraceptive methods. “Choice is a gender equality issue,” said Pascale Allotey, Director of WHO’s Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing.
“Contraception isn’t one-size-fits-all. Men and women both need a range of options that reflect what science and innovation can now offer,” she said.
The agency said more than 75 per cent of couples surveyed would be willing to use a new male contraceptive, while more than 85 per cent of women surveyed said they would trust their male partners to take responsibility for contraception.
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Mirian Gom 
