Takeaways from the 2024 Hormonal IUD Access Group Hybrid Meeting

Hormonal IUD Access Group members pose for a group photo at FHI 360 - DC Office. Photo Credit: Natt Pladsri/FHI 360

In October 2024, the Hormonal IUD Access Group convened in person in Washington DC and online to review introduction progress, discuss challenges and lessons learned, and consider new or evolved approaches to global hormonal IUD introduction. 117 attendees from 19 countries brainstormed, built new connections, and celebrated more than 3 decades of progress towards equitable access to the method.

Key Ideas:

1. Implementing partners and government representatives shared a desire for

   strengthened systems of method awareness-building and demand activation. When

   awareness-building activities have been implemented broadly, they’ve led to significant

   method uptake. Attendees noted a desire to learn more about “what’s worked” in other

   settings and to receive resources that would support efficient demand scaling programs.

2. The hormonal IUD’s unique association with menstrual changes, and its on-label use as

   a treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding, was identified as a method attribute that

   should be featured more significantly in Access Group communications, resources, and

   strategy. Implementing partners and suppliers shared that in some settings, the method’s therapeutic indication played a larger role in demand activation and patient decision making than its contraceptive indication.

3. Cross-method collaboration, particularly in connection to DMPA-SC introduction, was

   identified as a priority. This re-focus on collaboration was motivated by government

   preference for multi-method trainings and resources, existing COF awards which

   combine DMPA-SC and H-IUD, and by the structure of many large-scale donor supported health programs, which include comprehensive (rather than single-method) family planning activities.

4. A number of new avenues for connection and community-building around hormonal IUD

   introduction were explored, including strengthened connections to in-country technical

   working groups/new product introduction decision-making bodies and USAID bilateral

   leadership. Should these partnerships be developed, attendees noted their potential to

   make introduction efforts both in-country and across regions more cohesive.

These essential ideas will inform 2025 Access Group work-planning and ongoing conversation in-country and at the global level about the role of the Access Group in introduction.