This research brief highlights findings from two recent studies led by Joseph Babigumira and researchers at the University of Washington and in Uganda. Both studies use health economics methods to:

• Investigate the economic consequences of not responding to unmet need for contraception.
• Inform policymakers about the benefits of increasing family planning coverage.

The first study, published in 2011, assesses the costs and the economic burden associated with induced abortions in Uganda; the second study, completed in 2012, examines the potential costs and health benefits to increasing access to modern contraceptives. The two studies agree that provid­ing greater access to contraception in Uganda may be highly cost effective by alleviating unmet need for family planning services, reducing the incidence of induced abortions and abortion-related complica­tions, and promoting overall reproductive health and well-being.