Saturday, February 6, 2016

In Indonesia, spicy IUD TV ads try to boost long-acting, reversible contraception

This was originally published on the Maternal Health Task Force Blog on Jan. 21, 2016.


“How does it feel after you get an Andalan IUD?” a woman says in the opening line of a ground-breaking new TV spot (above) in Indonesia promoting intrauterine devices to married women. “Now we can do it anytime. For sure, my husband is more content and obedient now,” she says with a mischievous smile.

A second spot targeting married men poses the same question about how it feels after their wives got an IUD. “Now, every day, I just want to return home quickly,” he says with a broad grin. This deals with a widespread myth held by Indonesian men that IUDs dampen sexual pleasure.

Such ads used to be unheard of in Indonesia, where family planning is normally promoted from a population control and public health perspective. Sex is never mentioned. In a country that values discretion, these commercials link IUDs with sexual pleasure and other benefits of using a long term, reversible method.