What Is the Evidence for Interventions to Improve Family Planning Use among Women in the 12-Month Postpartum Period in Less Developed Countries?

Cassandra Blazer, University of California, Berkeley
Ndola Prata, University of California, Berkeley

Background. The WHO recommends postpartum family planning as a critical component of healthcare that has the potential to meet women’s desire for contraception and save millions of maternal and infant lives. The purpose of this systematic review is to assess postpartum family planning intervention efficacy in less developed countries. Methods. The authors will review interventions targeting women in the 12 month post-delivery period for improved family planning outcomes in less developed countries. We will search bibliographic databases for peer-reviewed and gray literature. We will screen abstracts based on PICO criteria. We will grade full texts using the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidance. Results. Our initial database search delivered 1,615 results. We will categorize the studies that meet our inclusion criteria by outcome assessed, type of study, direction of effect, and significance. Discussion. We will deduce whether and which interventions affect postpartum family planning outcomes.