2014 Articles

Injectable Contraceptive Introduced in Burkina Faso

Ringel, Lillian

Burkina Faso’s health ministry has begun its initiative to have contraception available to 25% of married women by 2015. Depo-Provera, the injectable contraceptive, has been introduced as a “Uniject” capsule under the name, “Sayana Press.” Containing one dose of the contraceptive, the Uniject capsule is a simple device that administers a long-acting drug (it has to be administered every 13 weeks). The hope is that women in Burkina Faso will eventually be able to administer the medication themselves. This is important for many reasons but mainly because, as married women, they may not want their husbands to know they are using birth control. Sayana Press has been approved as Depo-Provera in the United States since 2004.