Reproductive Health: An Introduction to IUCD in India

The world has a population of 6 billion. India alone has a population of 1 billion. This is despite the fact that India was the first country in the world to have a population policy. It is important to understand the factors that led to this population explosion and the complex links between population growth rates and levels of development. Indeed, many feel that the family planning program shows little evidence of concern for the poor women it is supposed to serve. India was one of the first nations to officially launch a family planning program. A modest beginning was made in 1952 and IUCD (intrauterine contraceptive device) was initiated in 1965. About 100 million married women throughout the developing world have an unmet need for family planning. About one-third of these women, an estimated 31 million, live in India. Unmet need for family planning is estimated to affect 16 percent of married couples in India. This paper gives a historical perspective of India’s Family Welfare Program focusing on the role played by IUCD. The Program has gone through various revamps shifting its initial target oriented approach to a more client centered approach. The National Population Policy 2000 resets the objectives of the program given the scale and diversity of India’s population making it pro-poor, pro-women and pro-nature. However, poverty, illiteracy, and a shortage of resources remain the main barriers to the promotion and wider acceptance of family planning.