Planned Parenthood Research Articles

Social determinants of choosing telemedicine for contraceptive care: A retrospective cohort study

ObjectivesCompare demographic characteristics and contraception choices among individuals seeking contraception care via telemedicine versus in-person. Study designRetrospective cohort study of contraception visits from June-September 2021 at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. We assessed demographics and contraception choices. We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate effect of language, age, income, having children, and insurance type on choosing telemedicine. ResultsWe included 16,855 patients: 2383 (14.1%) telemedicine visits and 14,472 (85.9%) in-person visits; 149/2383 (6.3%) non-English speakers used telemedicine compared to 1194/14,472 (8.3%) who used in-person care. A higher proportion of the telemedicine cohort had public insurance compared to the in-person cohort (2312/2383 [97.0%] telemedicine vs 11,646/14,472 [80.5%] in-person). Among the telemedicine cohort, a higher proportion of patients chose a barrier method (691/2363 [29.2%] telemedicine vs 1564/14,215 [11.0%] in-person) and short-acting method (1248/2363 [52.8%] telemedicine vs 5834/14,215 [41.0%] in-person) compared to in-person. A higher proportion of in-person patients chose long-acting reversible contraception (2681/14,215 [18.9%] in-person vs 179/2363 [7.6%] telemedicine) and injection (3779/14,215 [26.6%] in-person vs 115/2363 [4.9%] telemedicine) compared to telemedicine. Speaking Spanish was associated with decreased odds of choosing telemedicine after adjusting for covariates (aOR 0.53 [95% CI 0.44–0.64], p < 0.001). Older age, having children, lower income, and public insurance were associated with increased odds of choosing telemedicine. ConclusionsTelemedicine for contraception visits was associated with language, age, parity, income, and insurance. Despite small absolute difference in the proportion of patients that speak Spanish, in adjusted multivariate analysis speaking Spanish was associated with lower odds of choosing telemedicine. ImplicationsIncreasing access for people with limited technology as well as those who prefer non-English languages is essential to promote equitable reproductive care. Prospective research that focuses on patient experience and preferences is needed to better guide access to equitable, person-centered contraception care.

HEALTH LAW IMPLEMENTATION REALIZES GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT

The millennium development program (MDGs) in quality health services, including women's reproductive health, is not evenly distributed, due to poor infrastructure and the unequal quality of health services between provinces. It is hoped that Indonesian Health has succeeded in achieving most of Indonesia's MDGs targets, namely 49 of the 67 MDGs indicators can be improved. In normative juridical research, law is conceptualized as norms or rules that apply in society. Using a statutory approach and a conceptual approach in health law. There is a guarantee of a sense of security in accordance with Article 28G Paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution, thereby providing women's rights in accordance with the mandate given by the state and guaranteeing rights without discrimination and gender differences. There is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which emphasizes that women's human rights are respected, then women's reproductive health rights have also been formulated by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) since 1996, namely the right to equality and freedom from all forms of discrimination. In the end, support for women's empowerment must involve many parties from politics, PUG institutions, Human Resources, Budget, Gender Analysis Tools, and Community Participation.&#x0D; Keywords: gender equality, health law, reproductive health rights

Planning a Family: Birth Control, Sterilization, and the Welfare of Society in Cold War Brazil

This article explores the history of family planning during the Brazilian military dictatorship by focusing on the activity of The Society of Family Welfare (Sociedade do Bem-Estar Familiar no Brasil, BEMFAM), founded in 1965 and affiliated with the International Planned Parenthood Federation. BEMFAM’s campaigns were met with criticism from various fronts. The Catholic Church condemned the use of contraception methods. The military, which had ruled the country since taking power in 1964, opposed BEMFAM’s efforts to curtail population growth and its international partnerships. Leftist organizations attacked BEMFAM as well, denouncing its initiatives as a form of criminal Western imperialism. The denunciations ultimately led to a parliamentary inquiry into the activities of BEMFAM. Analyzing the dictatorship’s intelligence reports, state records, and BEMFAM’s publications, the article elucidates how population control models, Cold War ideologies, and gendered politics shaped health and reproduction in military Brazil.

Planned Parenthood Before and AfterRoe: Historical Lessons for the Current Fight

During the 1970s, Planned Parenthood (PP) went from an established, well-funded birth control provider in the political mainstream to a controversial organization associated with abortion. As abortion rights mobilized both feminists and a conservative opposition, the agenda and rhetoric of PP had to expand and adjust accordingly. This project explores the ways PP’s mission and the political terrain in which it operated became more complicated in this decade, focusing on the strategies it adopted to survive. There is much to be learned from how the organization sought to weather the unique tensions experienced by the legalization of abortion, the energy of the women’s movement, and the emerging backlash against perceived liberal excesses as it navigated the often oppositional demands of being both a service provider and advocate. As abortion access enters a new era of vulnerability and contestation, the role of PP remains uncertain. In exploring a key moment in the organization’s past, we also ponder the role of PP in the Dobbs era and whether it has either the capacity or political will to serve its constituents given its complicated history and still complicated present.

Introduction: Reproductive Justice

This article introduces the four manuscripts for this special issue of CS/CM. The order of the articles is the same as the introduction: Planned Parenthood Before and After Roe: Historical Lessons for the Current Fight, Relocating Reproductive Justice in Donor Sperm and Egg Capitalism, Let’s Make the Womb Safe Again, and Everyday Practices, Unaffordable Rights, Radical Liberation.

From Watching to Calling: Linking Variations in an Entertainment-Education Storyline with Calls to a Health Hotline

ABSTRACT Substantial gaps exist in the theoretical conceptualization and practical development of entertainment-education, as studies often fail to account for the ways in which intrinsic message characteristics influence subsequent behavior. These gaps served as the impetus for an international collaborative project that evaluated Vencer el Miedo (“Overcome the Fear”), a Spanish-language program that aired in Mexico from January to March 2020. The telenovela was produced with the aim of improving sexual and reproductive health knowledge and behaviors by modeling effective ways to discuss and negotiate safer sex practices. The show was accompanied by a telephone hotline called OrientaSEX operated by professional counselors from MEXFAM, Planned Parenthood’s Mexican affiliate. Utilizing an interrupted time series analysis of calls made to OrientaSEX (N = 11,878) and focusing on changes in the volume of calls and the identity of callers following key moments in the storyline, the findings support the central role played by transitional characters and their similarity to audience members. Implications of these results for the theory and practice of entertainment-education are discussed.

6.O. Workshop: Overview of Comprehensive Sexuality Education Status in Moldova, Georgia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

Abstract Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a key dimension of overall health and wellbeing of individuals. Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is one of the most important means of promoting and supporting youth is their sexual and overall development, and a key component of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention. It is widely recognised that school plays a central role in learning about health and health promotion skills, including sexuality and sexual health. Nevertheless, there is often a lack of evaluation of CSE implementation in school curriculums. This is why UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and BZgA (Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung), in cooperation with UNESCO((United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), WHO (World Health Organization) and IPPF EN (International Planned Parenthood Federation), conducted a study in Moldova, Georgia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to assess the status of CSE. In this workshop, we will describe the study process, reflect on the main findings in four countries and discuss two case studies of Moldova and Georgia. The speakers will also share their experiences of translating these findings into advocacy measures and achievements since the study conducted in 2022. The data was collected using the standardized Sexuality Education Review and Assessment Tool (SERAT) via desk reviews of relevant policies, curricula and national data, questionnaires, stakeholder interviews (e.g., with teachers, representatives of technical working groups and ministries of education, young people) and discussions to validate the findings. Overall, we have seen that all four countries teach sexuality education, which is supported by adequate legal and policy frameworks, and integrate it into their school curricula. The comprehensiveness of the curriculum, teacher training and learning methods differ across the four countries. In Georgia, the biggest CSE-related challenge is that there is a stigma in society around sexuality-related issues and there is a need to support an open dialog with key stakeholders. In Moldova, this was the second SERAT assessment within 5 years, which demonstrated a significant progress in the development of sexuality education program since 2017, achieving a much higher score of compliance with the international standards for CSE. Key messages • This study shows that the four countries assessed are on a positive track in implementing and expanding their sexuality education programmes, which are supported by a legal and policy environment. • Gaps still remain in teacher training, monitoring and evaluation, and the comprehensiveness of the delivered content.

PARADIGM SHIFTS IN SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH: UNRAVELING SOCIO-CULTURAL DETERMINANTS IMPACTING MARRIED WOMEN IN INDIA

This comprehensive review paper explores the intricate connections between socio-cultural determinants and the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of married women in India. Drawing insights from an extensive array of literature, reports, and articles identified through targeted keyword searches in leading databases such as Academia, Jstor, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed, this paper encapsulates the trajectory of SRH discourse from the years 1985 to 2022. Over the last three decades, particularly post the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, the narrative on SRH has evolved from a narrow focus on disease to a more extensive paradigm encompassing biomedical and socio-cultural elements. Emphasizing the crucial role of gender equality, socially constructed gender roles, cultural and sub-cultural norms, and the recognition of reproductive health as a fundamental right, the analysis draws from authoritative sources like the World Health Organization (WHO), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), and National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) data from 2015-16. The findings underscore the intricate interrelationship between social relations and gender roles, emphasizing their profound impact on women's reproductive health. Advocating for a paradigm shift from a woman-centric approach to a more inclusive gender equality approach, this review paper recommends interdisciplinary policies. These recommendations are aimed at enhancing reproductive health outcomes for women, concurrently elevating the overall quality of life in developing countries, with a particular focus on the context of India.

Quality testing of mifepristone and misoprostol in 11 countries.

Previous studies have demonstrated quality concerns with misoprostol. Mifepristone, however, has not been extensively assessed for quality. Between 2020 and 2021, Concept Foundation and the International Planned Parenthood Federation conducted a study to determine the quality of these medical abortion drugs in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The collection of batch samples of misoprostol and mifepristone was carried out by trained sampling agents in selected LMIC. Single drug packs and combipacks were sampled. A World Health Organization prequalified laboratory conducted testing method verifications and subsequent sample analysis. Tests included identification, assay, related substances, and content uniformity for misoprostol, and identification, assay, related substances, and dissolution for mifepristone. Samples were collected from Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda and Vietnam. Sixty-four pooled batch samples were tested, consisting of 31 combipacks, 26 misoprostol-only and seven mifepristone-only products. Overall, 54.7% of samples were non-compliant with one or more of the specifications, representing 51.6% of combipack products, 57.1% of misoprostol tablets analyzed and 23.7% of mifepristone tablets. One falsified misoprostol-only product was found. The present study confirms that a significant problem still exists in relation to the quality of medical abortion drugs in LMIC. For misoprostol, our findings suggest that historical concerns around primary packaging may have been largely resolved but that manufacturing processes for both finished product and active pharmaceutical ingredient need to be improved. The present study also provides evidence of mifepristone quality issues.

Knowledge and attitudes of health professionals in Chile towards people living with human immunodeficiency virus: A cross-national survey.

Introduction: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) often experience discrimination from both other individuals and the health personnel who care for them. Chile has experienced a marked increase in the number of new HIV cases.Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study. The HIV/AIDS questionnaire for providers and health personnel was obtained from the International Planned Parenthood Federation, initially carrying out a pilot test and evaluating its validity.Results: A total of 784 health professionals answered the questionnaire correctly. Among them, 68.4% (n = 536) were women, and 36.2% (n = 284) were physicians. The study revealed that more than 90% of respondents had a positive attitude towards caring for people living with HIV, and more than 75% did not mind buying food from them or sharing services with them. Furthermore, more than 99% rejected the religiously endorsed labeling of people living with HIV/AIDS as immoral. Additionally, 95.5% (n = 749) mentioned that they did not feel anxious about knowing whether the next patient on their care list was living with HIV, and 76.9% (n = 603) of the respondents felt safe taking blood samples.Conclusions: Chilean health professionals have good knowledge about HIV infection and its mode transmission. Their attitudes towards people living with HIV are also generally positive.

Access to care following Planned Parenthood’s termination from Texas’ Medicaid network: A qualitative study

ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore Planned Parenthood Medicaid patients’ experiences getting reproductive health care in Texas after the state terminated Planned Parenthood providers from its Medicaid program in 2021. Study designBetween January and September 2021, we recruited Medicaid patients who obtained care at Planned Parenthood health centers prior to the state termination using direct mailers, electronic messages, community outreach, and flyers in health centers. We conducted baseline and 2-month follow-up semistructured phone interviews about patients’ previous experiences using Medicaid at Planned Parenthood and other providers and how the termination affected their care. We qualitatively analyzed the data using the principles of grounded theory. ResultsWe interviewed 30 patients, 24 of whom completed follow-up interviews. Participants reported that Planned Parenthood reliably accepted different Medicaid plans, worked with patients to ameliorate the structural barriers they face to care, and referred them to other providers as needed. After Planned Parenthood’s termination from the Texas Medicaid program, participants faced difficulties accessing care elsewhere, including same-day appointments and on-site medications. Consequences included delayed or forgone reproductive health care, including contraception, and emotional distress. ConclusionsPlanned Parenthood Medicaid patients found it difficult to connect with other providers for reproductive health care and to obtain evidence-based care following the organization’s termination from Medicaid. Ensuring all Medicaid patients have freedom to choose providers would improve access to quality contraception and other reproductive health care. ImplicationsMedicaid-funded reproductive health care access is restricted for people living on low incomes when providers do not reliably accept all Medicaid plans or cannot participate in Medicaid. This situation can lead to lower quality care, delayed or forgone care, and emotional distress.

Young Queer Community Members Faced Higher Discrimination in Albania During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit vulnerable populations harder.In this context, the aim of this study was to assess the negative personal impacts and discrimination experienced by the LGBTQ+ community in Albania during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study was carried out in Albania in 2021, as a part of a larger multicenter study conducted by the International Planned Parenthood FederationEuropean Network (IPPF EN). Binary logistic regression was used to assess the likelihood of feeling discriminated, ashamed, or afraid due to sexual orientation, adjusting for main confounding factors. In total, 279 youngsters aged 14-30 years were included in this study. Of these, 55 participants or 19.7% self-declared as LGBTQ+. Significantly higher proportions of LGBTQ+ were older and of Albanian ethnicity, whereas lower proportions were not married/cohabiting compared to non-LGBTQ+ participants. Significantly higher proportions of LGBTQ+ members have felt discriminated (32.7%), ashamed to discuss about sexual and reproductive health(SRH) issues of concern (32.7%), afraid to express their sexual orientation (45.5%), and lacked privacy to discuss SRH issues with people of trust (36.4%) compared to non-LGBTQ+ participants (5.4%, 15.2%, 4%, and 17.4%, respectively). LGBTQ+ participants were 19.57 times more likely to feel discriminated because of their sexual orientation and 25.05 times more likely to be afraid to express their sexual orientation compared to non-LGBTQ+ participants. The LGBTQ+ community in Albania was more negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic compared to non-LGBTQ+ participants. The findings should guide future interventions for addressing the needs of the LGBTQ+ community in emergency situations.

Effect of Recent Abortion Legislation on Twitter User Engagement, Sentiment, and Expressions of Trust in Clinicians and Privacy of Health Information: Content Analysis.

The Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization (Dobbs) overrules precedents established by Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey and allows states to individually regulate access to abortion care services. While many states have passed laws to protect access to abortion services since the ruling, the ruling has also triggered the enforcement of existing laws and the creation of new ones that ban or restrict abortion. In addition to denying patients the full spectrum of reproductive health care, one major concern in the medical community is how the ruling will undermine trust in the patient-clinician relationship by influencing perceptions of the privacy of patient health information. This study aimed to study the effect of recent abortion legislation on Twitter user engagement, sentiment, expressions of trust in clinicians, and privacy of health information. We scraped tweets containing keywords of interest between January 1, 2020, and October 17, 2022, to capture tweets posted before and after the leak of the Supreme Court decision. We then trained a Latent Dirichlet Allocation model to select tweets pertinent to the topic of interest and performed a sentiment analysis using Robustly Optimized Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers Pre-training Approach model and a causal impact time series analysis to examine engagement and sentiment. In addition, we used a Word2Vec model to study the terms of interest against a latent trust dimension to capture how expressions of trust for our terms of interest changed over time and used term frequency, inverse-document frequency to measure the volume of tweets before and after the decision with respect to the negative and positive sentiments that map to our terms of interest. Our study revealed (1) a transient increase in the number of daily users by 576.86% (95% CI 545.34%-607.92%; P<.001), tweeting about abortion, health care, and privacy of health information postdecision leak; (2) a sustained and statistically significant decrease in the average daily sentiment on these topics by 19.81% (95% CI -22.98% to -16.59%; P=.001) postdecision leak; (3) a decrease in the association of the latent dimension of trust across most clinician-related and health information-related terms of interest; (4) an increased frequency of tweets with these clinician-related and health information-related terms and concomitant negative sentiment in the postdecision leak period. The study suggests that the Dobbs ruling has consequences for health systems and reproductive health care that extend beyond denying patients access to the full spectrum of reproductive health services. The finding of a decrease in the expression of trust in clinicians and health information-related terms provides evidence to support advocacy and initiatives that proactively address concerns of trust in health systems and services.

Polish Experts in School-based Sex Education and the West: Exchanging Ideas through the IPPF (1956–1989)

In this paper I examine the relationship between Polish experts on school-based sex education and international developments in the field during the post-war period. From 1956 onwards, Polish experts, hoping to introduce sex education to schools, drew on Western experience and knowledge. Using Polish sources, I focus on the ways in which this knowledge was transmitted, the role of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and the approach of Polish experts towards the West. I argue that during the late 1950s and 1960s, Polish experts valued and relied exclusively on Western models. International exchange on sex education intensified in the 1970s and 1980s, with the Polish expert Mikołaj Kozakiewicz becoming a regional leader within the international family planning movement. However, as Polish experts became more critical about certain Western models of sex education, they began to promote the socialist model of family life education as a more appropriate option.

The HPV at the Abortion Visit: The Utility of Video Education [ID: 1377357

INTRODUCTION: The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is an important component of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care and has the potential to completely eradicate cervical cancer. However, many women make it to adulthood without receiving a single vaccine. The abortion visit is an important health care access point for high-risk, unvaccinated individuals. METHODS: Patients (N=20) were recruited from the waiting room at a Chicago Planned Parenthood. Phase 1 included participants completing a 29-question assessment on HPV knowledge, HPV testing, and HPV vaccination. Phase 2 consisted of a randomized control trial of English-speaking patients, aged 18–26, presenting for a medication abortion (N=50). Primary outcome was uptake of vaccine; secondary was HPV knowledge via the same knowledge assessment tool used in phase 1. Patients were randomized to the interventional video or “usual care.” All patients were offered an HPV vaccine during medication abortion counseling. RESULTS: Knowledge scores significantly improved from preintervention (0.68 [±0.06]) to postintervention (0.77±0.05) (P=.03). Patients from the video intervention group demonstrated higher vaccine uptake (16%) compared to the “usual-care” group (0%) (P=.04). HPV knowledge assessment was significantly different between arms, with usual-care patients scoring 60% versus video intervention patients at 72%. CONCLUSION: There was significant improvement in knowledge assessment scores and vaccine uptake among the video intervention group. Video education is an effective tool in increasing HPV knowledge and uptake.

Speech by Vice President of Strategic Partnerships-Louisiana: Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast

Speech by Vice President of Strategic Partnerships-Louisiana: Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast

ANALISIS KONTEN PENDIDIKAN SEKSUALITAS BAGI PARA REMAJA PADA AKUN INSTAGRAM @TABU.ID

This study aims to find out how the contents of sexuality education for youth on @tabu.id’s instagram based on seven components Comprehensive Sexuality Education by International Planned Parenthood Association. The theory used in this study is the theory of media ecology. This study uses a qualitative content analysis method. Data collection techniques are carried out in the form of observation techniques, documentation and categorization. The data analysis technique in this study was through the stages of data coding, data presentation and data verification. The results of this study show that: there were 27 uploads for the period April – September 2022 which the researchers analyzed. It was found that there were 3 contents on gender, 10 content on reproductive health and HIV, 3 content on sexual rights and human rights, 4 content on violence, 1 content on diversity and 3 content on relationships. Researchers also consider that Instagram is quite effective as a medium in providing sexuality education, especially for teenagers who on average follow technological developments.

Criminalization, Medicalization, and Stigmatization: Genealogies of Abortion Activism in Poland

This article explores the long history of Polish abortion activism from the late 1950s to the present day. Using feminist genealogy, we examine how (de)criminalization, (de)medicalization, and (de)stigmatization are addressed in the strategic narratives of three interconnected organizations: the Polish Planned Parenthood Association (PPPA), established in 1957; the Federation for Women and Family Planning (FWFP), established in 1991; and the Abortion Dream Team (ADT), established in 2016. The PPPA, active during the state-socialist period and supported by the state, applauded the legalization and medicalization of abortion while actively discouraging women from terminating pregnancies. The FWFP, which introduced the notion of abortion as a right during the democratic transition and continues to fight for access to legal abortion under current restrictions, leaves the medicalization of abortion largely unchallenged. The ADT encourages women to become their own abortion providers, to share their experiences, and to support other women. Focusing on the underlying spheres of social norms, practices, and networks, they actively work to remove the connotations of danger, sin, irresponsibility, and crime from abortion, fostering a concept of termination as the positive solution to the problem of unwanted pregnancy. Our analysis of the intersecting space between (de)criminalization, (de)medicalization, and (de)stigmatization challenges the idea of progress and modernity in abortion activism and brings to the fore the contextual implications of positioning, goals, and rhetoric.

Improving our estimates: assessing misclassification of abortion accessibility in the United States

Quantify the misclassification of abortion accessibility resulting from calculations based on block groups, census tracts, ZCTAs, or counties versus census blocks. We included 850 facilities from the 2018 ANSIRH Facility Database and Planned Parenthood website. Accessibility was the proportions of 18-44 year-old women living within a 30-, 60-, and 90-minute drive from an abortion-providing facility. We calculated accessibility using five different geographic units: census blocks, block groups, census tracts, ZCTAs, and counties. We estimated the potential magnitude of abortion accessibility misclassification resulting by calculating the difference between accessibility calculated using each geographic unit, respectively, for each drive time as compared to census blocks. In this analysis, counties, the largest geographic unit considered, underestimated national abortion accessibility compared with census blocks by up to 24.21 percentage points; while block group-, census tract, or ZCTA-based national estimates of abortion accessibility in the US resulted in small underestimates relative to estimates constructed using census blocks. Studies of population accessibility should use the smallest feasible geographic unit of analysis. While this study focused on abortion accessibility, our findings likely apply to other health services, particularly those with distributions like abortion care.

School-based sexuality Education in Europe and Central Asia

Abstract Introduction In 2016, the BZgA and the European Network of the International Planned Parenthood Federation initiated an extensive survey regarding the development and current status of sexuality education (SE) in Europe and Central Asia, which included 25 selected countries of the European WHO Region. Since 2000, remarkable progress has been made in the region in developing and integrating SE curricula in school settings. The majority of the surveyed countries teach basic elements of SE in schools. Yet, in about half of the countries, there is still some reticence in understanding the benefits of SE for the health and well-being of young people. In countries with fully developed comprehensive SE programmes, the school is the main source of information on sexuality for young people. In the other countries young people tend to rely on information from friends or peers and the internet. The findings also showed a gap in teacher training on sexuality education. Methods The Survey included a detailed questionnaire, among member associations of IPPF EN and government agencies responsible for SE. A random sample was drawn from the 50 states of the region which is considered representative for the entire region. All 25 IPPF EN members and 16 of the 25 government agencies responded. Results and discussion Remarkable progress has been made in developing and integrating SE in formal school curricula. In 11 of the 21 countries, SE is a mandatory teaching subject, and in six additional countries it is partly mandatory. In four additional countries it is optional. Despite the progress, there are still shortcomings and gaps in providing the full spectrum of SE. Conclusions If provided, SE tends to focus primarily on the biological aspects and prevention of HIV/STIs and unwanted pregnancy. There is a need to broaden the spectrum of topics that are addressed to include gender equality, sexuality, violence and sexual abuse, human rights and empowerment.