Perspectives on Side Effects of Hormonal Contraceptives

Takudzwa Sayi of the University of South Florida in the U.S. will use journey mapping to discover women's experiences and responses to hormonal contraceptives, as well as their interaction with providers, in Zimbabwe to help design new contraceptives. They will also hold focus group discussions with family planning providers to find out their views on the uptake of specific methods. They will enroll women and providers in rural and urban areas across Zimbabwe. The journey mapping will involve a series of six sessions and will document from the time a woman chooses a contraceptive through her experience of side effects and how she interacts with the providers. They will validate their approach by comparing it to results from standard survey methods.