Home What we do Sexual & reproductive health
Good sexual and reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system. It implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, the capability to reproduce, and the freedom to decide if, when, and how often to do so.
To maintain one's sexual and reproductive health, people need access to accurate information and the safe, effective, affordable and acceptable contraception method of their choice. They must be informed and empowered to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections. And when they decide to have children, women must have access to services that can help them have a fit pregnancy, safe delivery and healthy baby.
Every individual has the right to make their own choices about their sexual and reproductive health. UNFPA, together with a wide range of partners, works toward the goal of universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including family planning.
News on Sexual & reproductive health
Honduras television drama shines light on teen pregnancy, helps girls speak out
Karen, a 14-year-old teenager, lives with her family in a slum on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She is afraid to return home after school because she is afraid of her uncle, who has tried to sexually assault her. This is storyline on the Honduran TV miniseries Es Cosa D-2.
Mobile clinics treat reproductive cancers in along Ukraine's contact line
Many people living along the 'contact line' refrain from seeking health care due to financial barriers, distance or fear of hostilities.
The future we want for women and girls
This year, global unity may seem a distant goal. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Reproductive health and development
UNFPA works to ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights remain at the very centre of development. The International Conference on Population and Development draws a clear connection between reproductive health, human rights and sustainable development. When sexual and reproductive health needs are not met, individuals are deprived of the right to make crucial choices about their own bodies and futures, with a cascading impact on their families' welfare and future generations. And because women bear children, and also often bear the responsibility for nurturing them, sexual and reproductive health and rights issues cannot be separated from gender equality. Cumulatively, the denial of these rights exacerbates poverty and gender inequality.
Key concerns
People queue outside a reproductive health clinic in Viet Nam. ©UNFPA/Doan Bau Chau
This is seen most acutely in developing countries, where reproductive health problems are a leading cause of ill health and death for women and girls of childbearing age. Impoverished women suffer disproportionately from unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortion, maternal death and disability, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), gender-based violence, and other related problems.
Young people are also extremely vulnerable, often facing barriers to sexual and reproductive health information and care. Young people are disproportionately affected by HIV, for example, and every year millions of girls face unintended pregnancies, exposing them to risks during childbirth or unsafe abortions and interfering with their ability to go to school. Adolescent reproductive health is therefore another important focus of UNFPA's work.
UNFPA also works to prevent and address STIs, which take an enormous toll around the world. More than a million people acquire an STI every single day. Without diagnosis and treatment, some STIs, such as HIV or syphilis, can be fatal. STIs can also cause pregnancy-related complications, including stillbirth, congenital infections, sepsis and neonatal death. STIs like human papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and cervical cancer, a major killer of women.
A life cycle approach
Reproductive health is a lifetime concern for both women and men, from infancy to old age. Evidence shows that reproductive health in any of these life stages has a profound effect on one's health later in life. UNFPA supports programmes tailored to the different challenges people face at different times in their lives, including comprehensive sexuality education, family planning, antenatal and safe delivery care, post-natal care, services to prevent sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), and services facilitating early diagnosis and treatment of reproductive health illnesses (including breast and cervical cancer).
To support reproductive health throughout the life cycle, services across a variety of sectors must be strengthened, from health and education systems to even transport systems – which are required to ensure health care is accessible. And all efforts to support sexual and reproductive health rely on the availability of essential health supplies, such as contraceptives, life-saving medicines and basic medical equipment.
UNFPA's work
UNFPA's work on improving sexual and reproductive health is a key effort towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3, which calls for good health and well-being. It also advances Goal 5, which calls for gender equality, as well as many of the other goals included in the 2030 Agenda.
UNFPA works with governments, other UN agencies, civil society and donors to develop comprehensive efforts to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care. UNFPA advocates for integrating the delivery of these services into primary health care, so it is as accessible as possible. This means, for instance, that a woman could address her family planning, antenatal care, HIV testing and general health needs all in one place.
UNFPA is a major provider of condoms, which offer one of the most effective forms of protection against STIs, including HIV.
UNFPA is also working with governments and communities to strengthen health systems, including supporting the implementation of reproductive health programmes, improving the quality of reproductive health care and strengthening human resources. UNFPA also works to make sure reproductive health commodities are available where needed, and that a functioning logistics system is in place. The Maternal Health Thematic Fund and UNFPA Supplies are just two examples of UNFPA's work in strengthening health systems and quality services.
While strengthening national systems, UNFPA also puts special emphasis on increasing access for disadvantaged groups, including young people, the urban poor, rural communities, indigenous populations and women with disabilities.
Updated 16 November 2016.
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Publications on Sexual & reproductive health
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: An Essential Element of Universal Health Coverage
The Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 (November 2019) provided an opportunity to complete the unfinished business of the ICPD Programme of Action and also a chance to commit to a forward looking sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) agenda to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and targets by 2030.
This background document for the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 was conceived from the international commitments of several governments and organizations and in the context of the adoption of the Political declaration of the High-Level Meeting on universal health coverage (A/74/RES/2) in 2019. Its purpose is to define and describe the key components of a comprehensive life course approach to SRHR. Furthermore, the ambition is to describe how countries can move towards universal access to SRHR as an essential part of UHC and to provide inspiring examples from countries that have moved in this direction.
The Maternal and Newborn Health Thematic Fund Annual Report 2018
This report highlights key results achieved in 2018 in the four intervention areas of the Maternal and Newborn Health Thematic Fund: midwifery, emergency obstetric and newborn care, maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response, and obstetric fistula.
Translating community research into global policy reform for national action
This Checklist supports the involvement of women living with HIV – and community activists who care about the rights of women living with HIV – to guarantee effective implementation of the Consolidated guideline on sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV.
My Body, My Life, My World
My Body, My Life, My World is UNFPA's new global strategy for adolescents and youth. It puts young people—their talents, hopes, perspectives and unique needs—at the very centre of sustainable development.
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Resources on Sexual & reproductive health
Legal Commitments for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights for All
This brochure explains the methodology for monitoring 5.6.2 and presents the data from 107 countries for SDG indicator 5.6.2.
SDG Indicator 5.6.2: Questions
This document contains the questions used to collect data on Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 5.6.2: the number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education.
Tracking women's decision-making for sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights
This brochure examines Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 5.6.1, which focuses on the proportion of women, aged 15-49 years, who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care.
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https://www.unfpa.org/node/139