A study of costs and behavioral outcomes of menstrual regulation services in Bangladesh

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a program evaluation of menstrual regulation (MR) services provided by the Bangladesh Women's Health Coalition, a nongovernmental organization formed in response to a concern about the availability of quality MR services to Bangladeshi women. The program emphasizes individual counseling which stresses informed choice in reproductive health care. The evaluation examines the cost of this process as a function of behavioral outcomes which include the percentage of clients who are post-MR contraceptive acceptors and the percentage which return for follow-up care and consultation 2 weeks after the procedure. The average cost per post MR contracepting client is $3.75; the average cost per returning client is $5.68, figures which appear to be well within the range of costs reported by family planning programs in developing countries.