At the CCIH 2016 Annual Conference, Cindy Uttley of Samaritan's Purse discusses various Fertility Awareness Methods (FAM) for family planning, including the advantages of the methods and how they work.

1. Healthy Timing &
Spacing of
Pregnancy
Fertility Awareness Methods
Cindy Uttley,
Community Health
Advisor

2. HTSP
An emphasis on
health of mothers &
children, not size of
family

3. “Which…do you think was a neighbor?”
“The one who had mercy on him.”
“Jesus told him, ’Go and do likewise.’”

4. “Woman, has no one
condemned you?
“Then neither do I
condemn you.”

5. This morning…..
• Barriers
• Advantages
• Samaritan’s Purse
Approach

6. Barriers to use of
HTSP methods
• Fear
• Disapproval
• Access

7. Fear
• Side effects – either
minor or serious
• Existing disease
conditions
• Failure

8. Disapproval
• Spouse
• Religious leaders
• Family
• Community

9. Access
• Cost
• Availability
• Ease of use
• Cooperation of partner

10. Advantages of
Fertility Awareness
Methods
• Effective &
affordable
• No side effects
• Includes partner

11. Effective & Affordable
• 95% effective
• Minimal to no cost
• Easy to use
• No need for follow-up visits
to health center

12. No Side Effects
• Use only as needed
• Normal menstruation
• No impact on mood
• No physical changes
• No serious health problems

13. Includes Partner
• Promotes communication
• Provides woman with
“leverage”
• Mutual responsibility
• Infrequent intercourse

14. Fertility
Awareness
Methods
• Standard Days
• TwoDays
• Lactational
Amenorrhea

15. Standard Days Method
• “Cyclebeads” - low cost
• Daily reinforcement
• Cycles of 26 -32 days
• Adaptable to context

16. TwoDays Method
• Vaginal secretions
• Simple to learn
• “If I am wet today, I can get
a baby today or tomorrow”

17. Lactational
Amenorrhea Method
• Exclusive breastfeeding
• No menstruation
• Prevents ovulation

18. Samaritan’s Purse
Approach
• Evolving
• Involves Local Church
• Care Groups
• Future?

19. Evolving
• Emphasis on local church
• Awareness raising &
referral
• Teaching FAMs, homemade
“cyclebeads”

20. Involves Local Church
• Biblical view of women &
marriage
• Literacy, livelihoods, health
promotion

21. Care Groups
• Support Groups
• Training of Trainers
• Wide coverage
• Consistent, contextualized
messaging
• Include sessions with men

22. Future
• Expand promotion of
TwoDays method
• Possible pilot projects

23. Thank you!
www.samaritanspurse.org