IRH | Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) Georgetown University

Institute for Reproductive Health

		The FAM Project IRH was awarded the Fertility Awareness-Based Methods (FAM) Project by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in September 2007. This 5-year project is increasing access and use of FAM within a broad range of service delivery programs using systems-oriented scaling up approaches. More > Understanding the Methods Standard Days Method® (SDM) is a modern family planning method that teaches a woman to identify when she is fertile by tracking her cycle days. More > TwoDay Method^® is a modern family planning method that uses secretions to identify the fertile days. More > Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) is based on the natural effect of breastfeeding on fertility. More >
Global Navigation Bar HOME FOCUS AREAS Fertility Awareness-Based Methods Standard Days Method TwoDay Method Lactational Amenorrhea Method Youth & Very Young Adolescents HIV Prevention PROJECTS FAM Project GREAT Project, Northern Uganda Terikunda Jékulu Project, Mali U.S. Initiatives Mobilizing FBOs, Kenya HIV Prevention Project Technical Assistance RESEARCH Standard Days Method TwoDay Method LAM Scaling Up Innovations Youth HIV Prevention RESOURCES Standard Days Method TwoDay Method Lactational Amenorrhea Method Youth HIV Prevention Other Natural Family Planning IRH E-blast Archive Media Gallery COUNTRIES ABOUT IRH Contact Us Our Staff Job Opportunites News Archives History
Search this site: Our Mission Through our research and programs, we strive to: Expand choice... by increasing access to fertility awareness-based methods (FAM) of family planning worldwide. Empower women... by helping them learn about and take charge of their reproductive and sexual health – from very young adolescents to adults. Involve communities... in reproductive health interventions that improve women's health.	Georgetown University's Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) Since its founding in 1985, IRH has been recognized as a leader in the effort to improve reproductive health worldwide. The Institute’s strengths are its quantitative and qualitative research skills, its focus on critical needs in reproductive health, and its research-to-practice strategy that includes working with partners to build capacity for sustainable services. The Institute collaborates with a wide variety of organizations from central to community levels to implement evidence-based service delivery programs in countries worldwide. More > What's New April e-blast focuses on partnerships in family planning with Faith-Based Organizations IRH has worked on a number of initiatives with Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) since a consultation last year at Georgetown University on Faith, Family Planning and Family Well-Being. Read the April e-blast to learn more about our partnership with the Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK), the project's focus on Community Health Workers and the recently developed Bible study discussion guide on family planning for religious leaders and congregations, produced with Christian Connections for International Health. New final study report on the introduction of Standard Days Method® in Title X clinics Despite their efficacy and safety, the availability and use of fertility awareness-based family planning methods (FAM) are low in Title X clinics. The purpose of this project was to test whether integrating the Standard Days Method® (SDM), a FAM that has proven to be both feasible for programs to offer and appealing to providers and clients, into Title X family planning (FP) services would increase use of FAM. IRH, along with partners Cardea Services, JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., and six Title X health centers, developed and tested a process to introduce SDM in FP clinics within a framework of expanded choice. The results of the research are available in the Final Study Report and the Executive Summary. IRH contributes to advocacy brief on FP & nutrition integration This technical brief, Maximizing synergies between maternal, infant, and young child nutrition and family planning, outlines the rationale for aligning maternal infant young child nutrition (MIYCN) and family planning (FP) interventions, summarizes evidence on the relationship between these two areas, and provides an overview of opportunities to identify linkages and better integrate counseling and services across multiple interventions. The brief was written by the MIYCN-FP Working Group of which IRH is a member. For more on IRH's work on integration, click here. March e-blast highlights GREAT Project launch in N. Uganda Read our March 2012 e-blast to learn more about IRH's efforts in Northern Uganda, in collaboration with partners Pathfinder International and Save the Children. The team successfully kicked off Phase II of the USAID-funded Gender Roles, Equality and Transformations (GREAT) Project this month. Also featured is the Second Edition of the publication "My Changing Body," targeted at very young adolescents, and IRH presentations shared at the 2011 International Conference on Family Planning in Dakar, Senegal. New Peer-reviewed article: The TwoDay Method®: A quick-start approach "The TwoDay Method^®: A quick-start approach" was recently published in Contraception. Requiring that women wait until the onset of menses to initiate a family planning method is a medical barrier that can result in unintended pregnancies. This article details the study design, results and conclusion of a quick-start approach to using the TwoDay Method delivery at any time of the cycle. Read the abstract here, or visit the Contraception Journal.