Girls and family planning

Mrs  Nzie  Catherine,  a  Mid-wife  Nurse  who  is  the  C.E.O  of  the  clinic  “Le  Thermometre” expresses herself on family planning.

What is family planning?

Family planning is the information, means and methods that allow individuals to decide if and when to have children. This includes a wide range of contraceptives – including pills, implants, intrauterine devices, surgical procedures that limit fertility, and barrier methods such as condoms – as well as non-invasive methods such as the calendar method and abstinence. Family planning also includes information about how to become pregnant when it is desirable, as well as treatment of infertility.

Family planning also involve consideration of the number of children one wishes to have including the choice to have no children as well as the age at which one wishes to have them. These are influenced by external factors such as marital situation, career consideration, financial position and any disability that may affect their ability to have children and raise them.

At what age is someone involved in family planning?

The best age for somebody to get involved in family planning is at the adolescent age. This is to create awareness to adolescents so that as they get to adulthood and start having intercourse and preparing a family, they will be able to make a choice on which family planning method they will like to use. This will go a long way to put an end to sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies in young girls.

How can we convince youths who are hesitant using family planning?

The most suitable means to convince youths on the use of family planning methods is by carrying out massive sensitization campaigns on family planning in schools, youth associations and anywhere youths can be found. This is to show youths the importance of using family planning methods through educative talks like sex education, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS, pre-conception counseling, infertility management and reduce infant mortality etc. 

Presented by Che Engochan with the expertise of Mrs Nzie Catherine, Mid-wife Nurse