Talking with clients about family planning: a guide for health care providers.

This manual compiled by the Association for Voluntary Surgical Contraception (AVSC) International provides counselors with the technical knowledge they need to enable family planning clients to make informed choices about contraception. Suggested is a process in which the family planning worker first presents basic facts about the range of available contraceptive options second-when client interest has been narrowed down--provides more detailed information on characteristics effectiveness and use in order to obtain a good match between the clients life situation and method and finally--once a choice has been made--describes how to get the method how to use it properly and how to manage side effects. The information that should be provided in each of these three stages--telling helping and explaining--is set forth for the lactational amenorrhea method combined oral contraceptives progestin-only pills progestin-only injectables Norplant implants the IUD diaphragm/spermicide condoms spermicides fertility awareness methods withdrawal tubal ligation and vasectomy. Appendices provide basic facts about sexually transmitted diseases and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Also discussed are the unique contraceptive needs of postabortion and postpartum women.