WHO expands safe options for contraception

From emergency contraception methods to longer-lasting implants and future male contraceptives, the World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending a broader range of safe and effective options so people can tailor contraception to their needs.
An estimated 164 million women who want to delay or prevent pregnancy do not use contraception, highlighting the urgent need for better and broader access to contraceptive supplies.
With the release of its new publication, “WHO guidelines on expanding contraceptive options,” WHO aims to help countries broaden access to methods backed by the best available evidence.
This action can ensure people have a wider range of options to make informed decisions about whether to use contraception, choosing the right method for them, and when to change or stop it.
The new guidelines offer people alternative ways to use existing methods. To this end, WHO recommends that combined oral contraceptive pills can be taken for extended periods of up to six months or continuously for up to one year, as an alternative to cyclic use. WHO supports the use of contraceptive implants for up to five years, potentially reducing the need for replacement procedures, clinic visits, and associated costs.
WHO recommends mifepristone as an additional option for emergency contraception, to be taken as soon as possible and within five days of unprotected sex. Evidence shows that mifepristone at doses of 10-50 mg is likely as safe and effective as other emergency contraception methods.
Pascale Allotey, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO, said: “The right to choose is an issue of gender equality. Contraception is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Both men and women need a wide range of options that reflect the achievements of science and innovation, balanced against factors such as convenience, invasiveness, behavior, reliability and accessibility. True choice means having the confidence and control to select a method, change it or stop it.”
Expanding access also means being transparent about methods not yet supported by sufficient evidence. Accordingly, WHO called for further research into ormeloxifene before including it in family planning programmes, as current evidence on its safety is limited. The new guideline also recommends that contraceptive pills containing quinestrol should not be added to national contraceptive programmes due to limited evidence and reports of serious side effects.
While the new guideline expands the evidence base for existing contraceptive methods, WHO is also working to broaden future contraceptive choices. Today, men have relatively few method controls—mostly limited to condoms, withdrawal and vasectomy. Yet, even with these limited choices, about 30% of couples rely on a male method.
WHO research challenges the long-standing assumption that men will not use new contraceptives. Over 75% of surveyed couples stated they would be willing to use a new male contraceptive method, while more than 85% of women said they would trust their male partners to take responsibility for contraception.
To help translate this demand into new products, WHO has developed its first Target Product Profile for male contraceptives, outlining the features future methods must have, including safety, efficacy, acceptability and affordability. The aim is to give researchers, funders and developers clearer direction and help shape a market that better reflects people’s desires and needs.
Several hormonal and non-hormonal male methods are under investigation, with several promising options in advanced clinical trials, suggesting that new, reversible male contraceptives could enter the market over the next 5 to 10 years.
WHO’s goal is to support countries in updating their policies and programmes to support family planning backed by the best available science.

Note to editors
The global study on male contraception mentioned above, titled “Socio-behavioral factors associated with the willingness to use new male contraceptive methods: a cross-sectional survey of men and female partners in four low- and middle-income countries,” is published in the journal Contraception.

About WHO
Dedicated to the health of all people and guided by science, WHO leads global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the UN health agency that connects nations, partners and people in over 150 locations—leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing diseases, addressing the root causes of health issues, and expanding access to medicines and health care.
Our mission is to promote, provide and protect health for all countries. “Together for health; committed to science,” the slogan for World Health Organization Day 2026, represents a year-long campaign highlighting science as the foundation for protecting health and well-being worldwide.