Family planning counseling during antenatal care and postpartum contraceptive uptake in Africa: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

omen in low-income countries face a greater risk of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortions compared with women in developed countries. This increased risk has been attributed to the high demand and limited access to family planning services by women in this setting. Research shows that one in every four women aged 15–49 years who are married or in a relationshipwould wish to timeor control their child bearing but are not using any method of family planning. Despite the fact that contraceptive use has a direct and positive impact on reducing global maternal deaths by almost a third each year, this opportunity has not been fully exploited in lowincome countries particularly those in Africa.