Implants are the most used method of Family Planning that is being taken up by women across Africa.
This is according to Family Planning 2030, 2022 Measurement report of family planning intake.
The report looked into 15 African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda.
"Today, implants are the most used method in 10 countries and the second most common method in another 14," the report read.
This, it said, represents a stark contrast with the method mix a decade ago, when implants were not as widely available.
The study said more women are choosing to be in control of whether or when and how many children to have.
It adds that there is evidence to indicate an increase in the use of long-acting methods (such as implants) among unmarried sexually active women in West Africa.
"Between 2012 and 2018, the use of implants in Benin, Guinea, and Mali more than doubled among unmarried sexually active women aged 15-24," the report said.
"Today more than one in five unmarried sexually active contraceptive users in these countries are using implants."
While the use of the implant is rising among that category of women in West Africa, the use of condoms is still high in the same category across Africa (obtained from private health facilities).
Generally, contraceptive use among married and unmarried sexually active women aged 15-24 was higher in East and Southern Africa than in West Africa.
"Younger married women across Africa in general, aged 15-24, were found to rely more on short-acting methods of family planning such as injections and pills obtained from Government facilities," it said.
However, unmet need is still high in both regions and for both populations.
