{"id":62250,"date":"2021-03-03T18:44:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T23:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/?post_type=disc-post&p=62250"},"modified":"2024-06-11T18:55:24","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T22:55:24","slug":"her-journey-her-choice","status":"publish","type":"disc-post","link":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/disc-post\/her-journey-her-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"HER JOURNEY, HER CHOICE"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY ABIGAIL WINSKELL, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, DISC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might seem obvious that the development of sexual and reproductive health options, including self-injectable contraceptives, should be centered around women\u2019s needs and wants. You might assume that a woman would be provided with many options and that she\u2019d be supported in making informed decisions about her own sexual and reproductive health every step of the way.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, too frequently that is not the case. Instead, these critical and even lifesaving products or services are often developed without thinking about how, and by whom, they will be used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is that today, even when women feel comfortable demanding what sexual and reproductive health services and products they want and need, barriers remain. When it comes to contraceptive self-injection in particular, the journey is riddled by challenges at almost every turn\u2014from awareness of contraceptive self-injection\u2019s value and alignment with her goals for her life, to decision-making about what works best for her through to beginning self-injection and continuing its use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many women aren\u2019t even made aware that contraception is relevant and valuable for their lives. And even if they are informed about contraceptive options, few women are familiar with contraceptive self-injection. In fact, seeking information about sexual and reproductive health services remains clouded in stigma and fear, and women tend to get information from a few, trusted sources\u2014mostly other women or healthcare workers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And even when women do make the decision to self-inject (a decision that is often driven by a health care worker\u2019s suggestion rather than a woman\u2019s enquiry), other challenges arise. Women often face unfounded fears about side effects, inconsistent pricing, and poor quality of available products.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why, at DISC,\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0examined\u00a0existing evidence,\u00a0assessed the market and carried out\u00a0consumer and provider research\u00a0to take\u00a0a deep dive into women\u2019s current\u2014and ideal\u2014self-injection journey.\u00a0Our goal is to\u00a0demonstrate that contraceptive self-injection is a viable cornerstone of sexual and reproductive health care,\u00a0and that by\u00a0supporting women to exercise\u00a0their\u00a0voice, choice and agency over their health, women can use their power to help improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If we\u2019re successful, a woman\u2019s journey toward self-injection\u00a0is transformed and\u00a0becomes easier. She is supported every step of the way:\u00a0from the moment she\u00a0first learns\u00a0about self-injection to the moment when she becomes a proactive advocate for self-injection,\u00a0because she had\u00a0such a positive experience herself.\u00a0Along the way,\u00a0she feels informed about all her options and is reassured\u00a0any\u00a0concerns\u00a0or\u00a0fears. She is confident\u00a0enough\u00a0to give self-injection\u00a0a try and has the support she needs to\u00a0continue doing so, in the comfort and privacy of her own home.\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Achieving this vision is not easy, but it is certainly feasible. Already, we\u2019re working in Nigeria and Uganda to create an environment that supports women throughout their entire self-injection journey, and we\u2019re gaining valuable insights along the way.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, our aim is to help advance understanding of how health systems can best support women to succeed in self-managed care\u2014including and beyond contraceptive self-injection\u2014and to ensure that this entire process always puts the woman at its center. <\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":43839,"template":"","disc-resource-type":[],"disc-language":[2488],"disc-country":[],"disc-page-type":[2494],"class_list":["post-62250","disc-post","type-disc-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","disc-language-english","disc-page-type-stories-updates"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disc-post\/62250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disc-post"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/disc-post"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"disc-resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disc-resource-type?post=62250"},{"taxonomy":"disc-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disc-language?post=62250"},{"taxonomy":"disc-country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disc-country?post=62250"},{"taxonomy":"disc-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disc-page-type?post=62250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}