Resources

Opportunities for integrated, woman-centered approaches to primary health care across the life courseGlobal awareness and advocacy for gender-responsive health care has increased, and we are seeing significant improvements in maternal health and access to contraception globally. However, a substantial women’s health gap remains, with women spending more time in poor health because of conditions that affect them differently or disproportionately.Delivered through integrated, person-centered primary health care, products and services designed for the wide range of women’s and girls’ needs can dramatically improve their health and well-being across all life stages. This includes both innovations for female-specific conditions and for conditions that affect women disproportionately or differently.Held on January 23, 2025 as part of PATH's Women's Health Initiative, this webinar focused on women and girls’ health across the life course, including adolescence, the antenatal/postpartum period, and later adulthood, as well as opportunities to support mental health during all life stages. Speakers addressed some of the biggest health concerns faced by women and girls at these life stages, shared what has been most effective in addressing those issues, and identified what is needed for sustainable solutions.Monica Mutesa, Zambia Country Coordinator with the Injectables Access Collaborative, PATH, moderated this event with the following featured speakers:Nelly Munyasia, Executive Director, Reproductive Health Network KenyaDr. Lori Newman, Deputy Director of STI and Gynecology, Women’s Health Innovations, Gates FoundationNakato Grace, Village Health Team Member/Community Health Worker, Jinja District, Uganda

Global Health: Science and Practice journal articleWe document the effort over the last 30 years to respond to the call by women advocates at the International Conference on Population and Development for more woman-initiated single or dual-purpose contraceptive methods by developing the Caya contoured diaphragm, an innovative diaphragm designed to meet the needs of women and their partners and expand options for nonhormonal barrier contraception. We describe the complex and interrelated set of activities undertaken to develop the product using a human-centered design process and how we are working to create a corollary sustainable market. This review includes the evidence generated around improved acceptability among couples in low- and middle-income countries and depicts challenges and practical actions on how to dispel misconceptions about diaphragm use. Importantly, we share programmatic lessons learned on increasing universal access to this new sexual and reproductive health technology. Following our new model for increasing access to new and underutilized methods, Caya is now registered and being marketed in nearly 40 countries worldwide.

This document is intended as a how-to implementation guide for providing oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) via online pharmacy service delivery (ePrEP/ePEP) based on learnings and evidence from the ePrEP Kenya pilot study that ran from October 2022 through July 2024.The guide was developed to support ministries of health and their partners as they develop strategies for HIV prevention services—specifically, ePrEP and ePEP delivery through a telehealth and online pharmacy model. It outlines a suggested approach that can be tailored based on epidemiological, social, economic, health systems, and policy contexts. Service delivery partners should exercise flexibility and adapt these recommendations and tools to their specific contexts, available resources, and infrastructure.

Subcutaneous DMPA (DMPA-SC) is an innovative injectable contraceptive that can dramatically expand access and choice for women. The Injectables Access Collaborative (AC) provides data-driven technical assistance, coordination, resources, and tools to ensure that women and girls have increased access to DMPA-SC and self-injection as part of an expanded range of contraceptive methods, delivered through informed choice programming. The Access Collaborative is led by PATH in partnership with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), inSupply Health, Jhpiego, and JSI. For more information, visit the DMPA-SC Resource Library, Injectables Access Collaborative page, or email FPoptions@path.org.

Contraceptive methods and HIV prevention methods are largely delivered by separate health care providers at separate sites or units of health facilities. Given that many young women want to prevent both pregnancy and HIV, integrated service delivery has the potential to offer more holistic, client-centered, and convenient care.This video features PATH's HIV Prevention and Family Planning Integration project in Uganda (2022–2023), which engaged young women and health workers in human-centered design to strengthen the integration of HIV prevention with family planning services. The team worked with a local technical advisory group and youth themselves to co-create models of integrated service delivery and assess their feasibility, scalability, and acceptability.