Sexual and reproductive health. what are the possibilities?
Lande, R.
Planned Parenthood Challenges 2: 19-21
1993
PMID: 12345364 Document Number: 340752
Family planning programs can play an important role in the control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), now known to increase the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission by 2-9 times. At present, family planning programs handle STDs in a variety of ways; some refer symptomatic patients to government clinics for diagnosis and treatment, some treat most STDs on site, while others diagnose and treat only certain STDs such as trichomoniasis and candidiasis. Family planning programs in Kenya and The Gambia have integrated STD prevention and referral into community-based outreach programs. Among the rationales for a greater emphasis on STDs are to prevent the infertility that can be a sequela, to take advantage of the family planning visit in cases where women have few other contacts with the health care system, to ensure women fitted with an IUD are not at high risk of an STD, and to earn additional revenue. If family planning programs are expanded in this way, more personnel must be hired to meet increased counseling demands and contact sexual partners. In addition, careful consideration must be given to the fact that the most effective means of female contraception--sterilization, implants, injectables, IUDs, and the pill--provide no protection against STDs, while condoms do not provide adequate protection against pregnancy and lack high acceptability among women.