Early mornings, long boat rides, and hot and humid days – this is the typical scenario when traveling to Agutaya, one of the hardest-to-reach group of islands in Palawan, Philippines. 

Though the villages are separated by sea, people are never strangers. All happily greet each other as they gather at the local health center to avail of their contraceptive of choice during an outreach mission led by Roots of Health with support from the Australian Embassy in the Philippines. 

Our nurses discuss the contraceptives available to the women gathered at the local clinic.

Armed with a handy poster illustrating the female reproductive system, our nurses start orienting the women on contraception and the different kinds they can get during the mission. With many women unfamiliar with contraceptives – particularly long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) – fears about the procedure and possible side effects are foremost in their minds. Our nurses thoroughly explain the procedure, debunk misconceptions, and answer their questions to ease their worries. 

Busting contraceptive myths through high-quality non-judgmental service 

Rita*, 39, shares her misunderstanding of the implant, “I used to think getting the implant meant undergoing an operation where I had to be unconscious […] I was scared I might not wake up from it and I got anxious believing that. That’s why I didn’t have it before.”

After giving birth to nine children, two of whom died from complications, Rita does not want to have another baby, especially at an older age. 

In Rita’s case, getting enough prenatal vitamins during her last pregnancy might have helped prevent her child’s birth defect which led to the baby’s death. Unfortunately, living two hours away by boat from the nearest clinic and the lack of prenatal vitamins at the health center kept her from having a healthy pregnancy and led to childbirth trauma. 

With strengthened resolve and her worries about the procedure allayed, Rita decides to proceed with the implant insertion that will protect her from unwanted pregnancies for three years. 

“I didn’t realize it would be that easy to go through. The reality was very different from what I imagined,” she shares. 

While contraceptive access in far-flung communities has improved through the years, there is still a lot of ground to cover in disproving myths that hinder women from availing LARCs. Despite efforts of providers to increase reproductive health knowledge, many are still more inclined to believe myths that they hear from their elders or neighbors. 

“This is one of the major roadblocks we face as providers when encouraging others to switch to LARCs,” shares Nurse Piety, one of our mission team leads. 

Although it helps to get the facts out there to challenge existing misconceptions, sometimes it is not enough. 

“As healthcare providers, it is important to be seen as trustworthy by the people we serve. This is why we continue to embody our values in being non-judgmental, rights-based, and science-based in our approach,” Piety explains. 

“Giving women a positive experience when they avail of LARCs can help encourage more to do the same, especially in a tight-knit community that puts a premium on the advice of their peers,” she added. 

Rita hopes to inspire more women in her community to get implants too, “As someone who has already gotten it, I will tell them it’s not painful like I used to believe.” 

Easing women’s economic burden 

Nimfa*, 40, decided to use contraception to prevent another pregnancy after she lost her seventh baby because of a miscarriage. She also had difficulty sending all her children to school with her family’s meager income, more so with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting their livelihoods. 

Raquel*, 23, echoed the same sentiment, especially when having children one after another at a young age. Limited access to contraceptives affect the well-being of the whole family when there are not enough resources to support a growing household. It especially puts a lot of pressure on her, Raquel says, and there are days when she just doesn’t know how to cope. 

Nurse Piety conversing with a client during the pre-implant insertion assessment.

Although contraceptives are available in their local clinic, sometimes pills run out. Restocking is often delayed as the mainland is far away. Compared to pills and injectables, LARCs offer women longer protection without having to worry about running out of supplies. Reaching more women with LARCs especially in remote areas is vital. 

Roots of Health Nurse Daisy shares her realizations during the Agutaya mission:

“Not needing to buy a pack of pills when the health center runs out, women can spend their money on food instead. Mothers face a lot of hardships in child rearing. By helping them access contraceptives, an unplanned pregnancy is one less thing for them to worry about in life.”

Rita, Nimfa, and Raquel are only some of the women Roots of Health had the pleasure of getting to know during the four-day mission, but many more share similar experiences in family planning and accessing reproductive health services in and out of Palawan. 

The 16-hour trip by sea with multiple boat rides in between left the Roots of Health team feeling exhausted but accomplished.

Daisy shares, “Despite the tiring travel, there’s a sense of fulfillment in being able to help ease the burden of women when it comes to family planning.” 

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* Not their real names.

Thumbnail photo shows the Roots of Health team, together with local health workers, traveling to a village in Agutaya, Palawan to provide more women with contraceptives of their choice.   

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About Roots of Health

Ugat ng Kalusugan (Roots of Health), founded in 2009, works to empower women, young people and families in Palawan, Philippines to lead healthy reproductive lives by providing rights- and results-based educational and clinical services. The organization improves women’s and young people’s reproductive health and decreases the number of unplanned pregnancies and HIV incidence by providing sexuality health education and access to modern contraceptives through a clinical services program. 

Roots of Health (ROH) is registered in the United States as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Ugat ng Kalusugan (UNK) is registered in the Philippines as a non-stock, non-profit organization. ROH exists to fundraise for UNK. All program activities take place in the Philippines under UNK. For all intents and purposes, the two are one organization. 

In the Philippines, Ugat ng Kalusugan is accredited by the Department of Health (DOH), the Commission on Population (POPCOM), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Provincial Government of Palawan, and the City of Puerto Princesa. We hold Memorandum of Agreements with the Department of Education, Palawan State University and Western Philippines University.