#Contraceptives

A newly released international report assessing the landscape of contraceptive supplies provides crucial insights for family planning stakeholders worldwide, with implications for policy and practice in Thailand. The 2024 Family Planning Market Report, jointly published by the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, delivers an extensive analysis of the evolving global market for reproductive health commodities, highlighting both progress and ongoing challenges in ensuring access to contraceptives for millions of women and couples.

A new international analysis of contraceptive supplies offers timely guidance for Thailand’s reproductive health efforts. The 2024 Family Planning Market Report, produced by the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, maps market trends, price dynamics, and supply chain challenges that shape access to contraception worldwide.

This tenth edition serves as a benchmark for donors, governments, NGOs, and medical suppliers involved in low- and middle-income countries. It examines market size, procurement patterns, and the impact of lingering COVID-19 disruptions, while highlighting how new technologies are changing choices for women and couples. For Thailand, known for pioneering family planning programs, the findings illuminate gaps and opportunities amid demographic shifts and regional health concerns.

A new international study has linked hormonal contraceptives to a higher risk of developing depression, triggering important conversations for Thai women who rely on these methods. The research, summarized by reputable outlets, indicates that birth control pills, patches, injections, and implants may be associated with increased depression diagnoses and antidepressant use, especially soon after starting these medications.

In Thailand, contraception has long been part of national health policy. Access to family planning supports women’s autonomy, improves public health, and enables safer, planned families. Officials have promoted hormonal options as safe and effective for decades. The latest findings, however, call for careful consideration of mental well-being alongside the benefits of contraception. Health professionals, policymakers, and users should weigh psychological health alongside reproductive health.

A recent study is making international headlines by finding a significant association between hormonal contraceptive use and a heightened risk of developing depression, raising important questions for millions of Thai women who rely on these family planning methods. The research, covered by reputable sources such as Drug Topics, suggests that women using hormonal contraceptives—such as birth control pills, patches, injections, and implants—may be more likely to experience depression, especially soon after starting these medications.