Objective Progesterone-only emergency contraception (EC) is currently being introduced in West Africa, and could represent an efficient means towards the reduction of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions. The general objective of this research is to fill a gap in existing knowledge by understanding the potential role of EC in improving couples' sexual and reproductive health in that region. The diffusion of EC is particularly important in the context of HIV-AIDS, widespread in West Africa, since EC can back up condom failures. Progesterone-only EC is not subjected to medical counter-indications and can be sold over the counter, thus widening access to contraception in contexts where contraceptive supply infrastructures mainly target women in union.As a post-coital method entailing a one-time intake, EC could also help women gain autonomy in contraceptive decision-making. But EC does not help in alleviating other obstacles to modern contraceptive use: the high value attributed to fertility and abstinence, and the fear of side effects; the price of EC may also be a barrier to its use.Postulating that EC use is embedded in the articulation of conflicting social logics which depend simultaneously on reproductive and sexual norms, gender relations, and client-provider relations, our specific objectives are to study, in the context of West Africa:1) the accessibility of EC,2) its acceptability by women, men, and providers,3) the situations in which its use is particularly adapted,4) the specific obstacles to its utilisation, and5) its place in regard to the other fertility regulation practices.The study will be conducted in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. Morocco is included in the study design to test whether the success of EC depends on pre-existing widespread contraceptive use. In the capital of each country, we will identify EC's diffusion channels, and EC sales figures. Fields of science medical and health scienceshealth sciencessocial biomedical sciencesfamily planning Keywords Emergency contraception family planning policies unsafe abortion Programme(s) FP6-INCO - Specific measures in support of international cooperation: Specific activities covering wider field of research under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006. Topic(s) INCO-2002-A1.1 - Reproductive health Call for proposal FP6-2002-INCO-DEV-1 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme STIP - Specific Targeted Innovation Project Coordinator INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTÉ ET DE LA RECHERCHE MÉDICALE Address 101 rue de tolbiac Paris France See on map Links Website Opens in new window EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (8) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all GROUPE DE RECHERCHE ET D'APPUI AUX INITIATIVES DU DÉVELOPPEMENT ENDOGÈNE Senegal EU contribution € 0,00 Address Hlm las-palmas, villa n° 493, guédiawaye Dakar fann See on map HEALTH RESEARCH UNIT, GHANA HEALTH SERVICE Ghana EU contribution € 0,00 Address Cathedral square, castle road, adabraka polyclinic GP-184 Accra See on map Links Website Opens in new window INSERM-TRANSFERT SA France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 101 rue de tolbiac Paris See on map Links Website Opens in new window INSTITUT NATIONAL DE STATISTIQUE ET D'ECONOMIE APPLIQUÉE' Morocco EU contribution € 0,00 Address Avenue allal el fassi Rabat See on map Links Website Opens in new window INSTITUT SUPÉRIEUR DES SCIENCES DE LA POPULATION Burkina Faso EU contribution € 0,00 Address 733 rue luili-peenda zogona, secteur 13 Ouagadougou 03 See on map Links Website Opens in new window LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Keppel street London See on map Links Website Opens in new window SANTÉ REPRODUCTIVE ET GENRE Senegal EU contribution € 0,00 Address 4 avenue des ambassadeurs cité des professeurs n° 45 Dakar See on map UNIVERSITÉ CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN Belgium EU contribution € 0,00 Address 1 place de l'universite Louvain-la-neuve See on map Links Website Opens in new window
