Granny midwives can help with family planning in developing lands; in Iran they insert, remove IUDs.

Abstract

Traditional midwives are active in most villages and many urban areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. They deliver babies, provide prenatal and postpartum care, teach folk methods of birth control, treat infertility, and enjoy the confidence of many women. Most official family planning programs make little or no use of these traditional midwives. Research should be conducted into the most effective ways of recruiting and rewarding midwives in family planning programs. They seem to function best when provided with adequate training, supervision, and incentives. Traditional midwives are participating in the national family planning programs in Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Only in Iran do they participate in the medical aspects of family planning. Midwives in Iran do IUD insertions and their performance compares favorably with that of medical personnel.