Luxembourg family planning centres in higher demand

(CS) The “Planning Familial” centres around Luxembourg have seen a steady increase in people seeking advice on family planning, but also booking appointments for exams, cancer screenings and medical abortions.

Planning Familial runs three centres, in Luxembourg City, Esch/Alzette and Ettelbrück.

With access to abortions made easier between 2012 and 2014, the number of medical abortions carried out at the centres has also increased. While in 2012 only 521 women sought out the centres for a medical abortion, this number rose to 665 in 2014.

Most women were early on in their pregnancy, with an average duration of gestation of 5.4 weeks between 2009 and 2014. The average age of women seeking a medical abortion was 27.4, with the youngest patient 14 and the oldest 46.

However, this activity represented under 2 percent of the family planning organisation's overall activities.

One in five people who visited the centres wanted advice on sex and reproduction. Roughly another 20 percent were looking for information on contraception. Screenings for STDs, cervical and breast cancer, and HPV together also accounted for roughly 20 percent of visits to the centres.

Other treatments offered at the centres include gynecological exams, urine tests, ultrasounds, colposcopies, and advice on menopause and infertility, among many others.

On the whole, Planning Familial was contacted 22,065 times in 2014, with 14,718 enquiries made via telephone. Some 1,400 new visitors were recorded, with 8,908 consultations carried out. In 2012, the centres were contacted just 17,240 times, with the number up to 20,739 in 2013.

For the full report visit planningfamilial.lu