This is a practical handbook for daily reference by those working in family planning. It provides up to date coverage of all aspects of family planning and in this third edition its scope has been extended to women's reproductive health.

"United States Agency for International Development, Bureau for Global Health, Office of Population and Reproductive Health."

This document is one of two evidence-based cornerstones of the World Health Organization's (WHO) new initiative to develop and implement evidence-based guidelines for family planning. The first cornerstone, the Medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use (third edition) published in 2004, provides guidance for who can use contraceptive methods safely. This document, the Selected practice recommendations for contraceptive use (second edition), provides guidance for how to use contraceptive methods safely and effectively once they are deemed to be medically appropriate. The recommendations contained in this document are the product of a process that culminated in an expert Working Group meeting held at the World Health Organization, Geneva, 13-16 April 2004.

Current and former professional staff of the Population Council have updated the Handbook for Family Planning Operations Research Design. They assume that readers of the handbook already know terms and concepts of research design and statistics and have some field research experience. The primary objective of the manual is to provide guidance to health and family planning researchers to develop and write and detailed operations research proposal. In fact, it can be and has been used in workshops on research proposal writing. It also serves as a means for program administrators and managers to understand the workings of operations research and the application of research findings for improving service delivery. The authors draw from their field experiences from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The handbook begins with a definition of operations research, its objectives, different types of operations research, and its desing. It guides readers on how to identify, define, and justify the research problem. Further it helps them to choose a strategy to solve the problem. I next covers objectives and hypotheses of the research. The handbook makes the readers aware of the need to describe the proposed intervention and to define variables and terms. It spends a considerable number of pages on study design including the different types of designs. It also provides guidance on sampling and data collection. The handbook gives detailed guidance on data tabulation and analysis. It also stresses the need to disseminate and use the research findings. It encourages researchers to list limitations of the study, resources, and facilities. It also addresses the preparation of appendixes, title page, and abstract.

Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use reviews the medical eligibility criteria for use of contraception, offering guidance on the safety and use of different methods for women and men with specific characteristics or known medical conditions. The recommendations are based on systematic reviews of available clinical and epidemiological research. It is a companion guideline to Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use. Together, these documents are intended to be used by policy-makers, program managers, and the scientific community to support national programs in the preparation of service delivery guidelines. The fourth edition of this useful resource supersedes previous editions, and has been fully updated and expanded. It includes over 86 new recommendations and 165 updates to recommendations in the previous edition. Guidance for populations with special needs is now provided, and a new annex details evidence on drug interactions from concomitant use of antiretroviral therapies and hormonal contraceptives. To assist users familiar with the third edition, new and updated recommendations are highlighted. Everyone involved in providing family planning services and contraception should have the fourth edition of Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use at hand.

A prominent gynecologist explains how to make the best choices for female reproductive health in this authoritative, easy-to-read guide This book is for every woman who has wished for an unhurried, personal conversation with a sympathetic doctor who will answer her questions about reproductive health. Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a gynecologist practicing for more than 25 years, presents a complete and up-to-date guide to a healthy reproductive system for women in their teens through middle age. With warmth and understanding, Dr. Minkin and coauthor Carol V. Wright respond to questions about the gynecological issues that concern women today, including sexual activity, contraception, and family planning. Readers of The Yale Guide to Women's Reproductive Health willlearn how the female body works, what problems may arise, and what solutions are available--in short, they will become better prepared to participate in their own health care and to make healthy decisions.

Sensiplan is a fertility awareness-based method of family planning, known also as natural family planning ("NFP"). Originally developed in Germany over a period of decades by the Arbeitsgruppe NFP ("NFP Working Group") at the international aid agency Malteser International, and with help from the German Ministry of Health. Natural & Safe: The Handbook describes the method and its applications in detail and is an important Sensiplan resource. It is designed to work in conjunction with Natural & Safe: The Workbook, a practice manual that provides practice charts, case examples, and specific instruction for using the method throughout various phases of life. Both volumes are translated now for the first time in English.