Demand for contraceptives in Brazil and Mexico in post-pandemic times

Posted August 2, 2022

A study conducted by the INCT Hormona team aimed to analyze inequalities in demand for contraceptives in Brazil and Mexico. The group also estimated how long it would take to recover long-active contraceptive coverage after the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the coordinator of Centro INCT Hormona of Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) and member of the Institute’s Managing Committee, Dr. Luis Bahamondes, the group performed this research as a contribution to governments to understand the issue of post-pandemic contraception. The team used national health surveys from 2006 to 2018 to estimate the demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods and how it was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Three variables were analyzed: coverage, health outcomes, and costs.

In Dr. Bahamondes’ opinion, after the study, considerable inequalities were found between the rich and the poor population with regard to access to contraceptives. “We also estimated that the massive use of long-acting contraceptives, such as IUDs and implants, would be very helpful in reducing maternal mortality before the pandemic,” the comments.

The study concluded that, in the scenario predicted for Brazil and Mexico, the costs of modern family planning and of disability-adjusted life years are modest. “We need concrete actions from governments, which is not seen in the short term in the two countries,” he concluded.

The article “Potential of LARC to recover loss in satisfied demand for modern contraception after the COVID-19 pandemic: a case scenario analysis of Brazil and Mexico” can be read in full at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9168421/