Reproductive health care: services oriented to couples

Historically, the combination of women's rights to care, population concerns and the development of female-oriented contraceptive methods resulted in family planning programs focusing on women's contraceptive needs and little else. The 1994 United Nations Population Conference in Cairo called for an expansion of programs to cover reproductive health in its broadest interpretation. As this concept has developed and been put into practice it has become evident that a key element in reproductive health services should be the inclusion of the sexually active couple. (C) 1998 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.