Mississauga, ON, September 26, 2022 – Approximately 218 million women living in low-and middle-income countries have an unmet need for modern contraception.³ While modern contraceptive methods are widely available, lack of awareness, access, and persisting myths and misperceptions continue to affect adoption of modern methods.

Lack of adoption to modern birth control has resulted in 48% of all pregnancies that occur each year globally are unintended.⁴ In Canada, nearly 50% of all pregnancies are unintended.⁵

Research shows that lack of awareness about, and lack of access to, contraception are no longer leading causes for non-use. Instead, these barriers are now overshadowed by concerns over side effects, myths, stigma and opposition from others.⁶ Persisting myths and misperceptions about modern contraception can present barriers to using contraceptives.⁷ This includes misperceptions related to side effects and their frequency, and the reversibility of some contraceptive options.

Furthermore, the unmet need for contraception among women wanting to avoid a pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries is even much higher for adolescents than for all women aged 15–49.⁸  This is especially amongst young women who may be afraid of social prejudices and possible stigmatization concerning their sexual independence and choices.

Self-determined family planning with unrestricted access to contraceptives and knowing how to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases, are essential if we are to move towards a world in which every pregnancy is wanted. The World Contraception Day (WCD) taking place every year on September 26^, raises special awareness among adolescents and youth regarding sexual and reproductive health. Providing young people access to scientifically accurate and non-judgmental information about a range of contraceptive methods, their pros and cons, and related sexual health topics encourages them to take control over their reproductive and sexual lives and helps them make informed choices.

Since its global launch in 2007, there are over a dozen international partners supporting WCD with Bayer being there from the start. The partners are dedicated to increase access to and availability of family planning services and education. They have united to create and enhance awareness and also to underline the importance of empowering young people to learn about sexual and reproductive health as well as to talk boldly about it with their healthcare providers and partners.  Together, the partners are calling on governments and decision-makers, encouraging them to also promote the subject at the political level.

Bayer reaffirms commitment to provide 100 million women in low-and-middle income countries by 2030 with access to family planning

On World Contraception Day, Bayer reaffirms its commitment to provide 100 million women in low- and middle-income countries with access to modern contraception by 2030. This commitment it based on two key pillars: Product Provision, including making products available through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), while ensuring women have a choice of method that works best for them; and Capacity Building, with an emphasis on rural areas and humanitarian settings, to develop and strengthen local health systems, enable local health systems on their journey towards self-reliance, and support the autonomy of local health systems to provide safe and effective counselling.

The program is part Bayer’s comprehensive sustainability measures and commitments from 2020 onwards and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

About Women’s Healthcare at Bayer

Bayer is a recognized leader in the area of women’s healthcare, with a long-standing commitment to delivering science for a better life by advancing a portfolio of innovative treatments. Bayer offers a wide range of effective short- and long-acting birth control methods as well as therapies for menopause management and gynecological diseases. Bayer is also focusing on innovative options to address the unmet medical needs of women worldwide. Today, Bayer’s research and development efforts focus on finding new treatment options for menopause as well as gynecological diseases and includes several compounds in various stages of pre-clinical and clinical development. Together, these projects reflect the company’s approach to research, which prioritizes targets and pathways with the potential to alter the way that gynecological diseases are treated. Additionally, Bayer intends to provide 100 million women in low-and-middle income countries by 2030 with access to family planning by funding multi-stakeholder aid programs and by ensuring the supply of affordable modern contraceptives. This is part of the comprehensive sustainability measures and commitments from 2020 onwards and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.ca.

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Bayer Inc.

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Find more information at www.bayer.ca.

Forward-Looking Statements

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