To mark World Contraception Day, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division in Asia-Pacific has announced the inception of its Bayer for Her campaign. Having been piloted first in Thailand since September 2022, the campaign has now been rolled out to other ASEAN markets. In Vietnam, the campaign was launched under the name Science for Her.

The ability for women to choose how many children they want, if at all, and when they want to have them is central to women's empowerment and achieving the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals.

However, according to the Guttmacher Institute, almost 132 million women of reproductive age in Asia have an unmet need for modern contraception. They wish to avoid a pregnancy, but are either not using it or are using traditional methods, which are less effective than modern alternatives.

As a pioneer in women's healthcare, Bayer has set a goal of providing education to 100 million women in low- and middle-income countries by 2030, allowing them to access family planning.

Bayer for Her is not an awareness campaign, but a call to action for women in Asia to share about their own health issues with #ConversationsofCare

Grounded in science, Vietnam's Science for Her platform unites Bayer's Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Health divisions to address women's healthcare needs across all life stages. The initiative covers many activities to raise awareness and help women understand, manage, and take action on their health issues in the modern world, ranging from contraception to endometriosis, menstrual pain and heavy bleeding, vitamin supplements, and skincare problems.

In addition, the Science for Her campaign also encourages women to have regular health screenings, and receive psychological care and support, especially during the menstrual cycle or maternity period.

To facilitate the goal, Bayer Vietnam has signed an MoU with two of Vietnam's leading obstetrics and gynaecology hospitals, namely the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Hung Vuong Hospital.

Bayer Vietnam and its partners are committed to fostering collaborations, mobilising resources, and creating a synergy of strengths to implement knowledge transfer and information exchange with the local medical community.

The partnerships also raise community awareness and empower women in terms of their obstetric and gynaecological health, family planning, and disease prevention.

In August 2023, Bayer organised an online contraception consulting programme with the participation of Dr. Hoang Thi Diem Tuyet

Within the framework of the cooperation, Bayer Vietnam is accompanying Hung Vuong Hospital to implement a series of health consultation livestreams for the community, focusing on providing useful information and instructions on using appropriate and effective birth control methods.

The programme has attracted more than 119 thousand views and interactions on the Phu Nu Song Chu Dong and Hung Vuong Hospitals' fanpages.

In August, Bayer Vietnam, in coordination with the National Agricultural Extension Center under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, organised the training session for women's healthcare. The session attracted nearly 500 female farmers from the Mekong Delta, with topics covering family planning methods, pregnancy nutrition, and common skincare problems.

The activity was part of Bayer's Science for Her and ForwardFarming initiatives, with a view to promoting healthcare for women in rural areas who lack access to information and modern services.

2023 marks the eighth consecutive year that Bayer Vietnam has been partnering with the General Office of Population and Family Planning of the Ministry of Health to provide better care and access for Vietnamese women.

From 2016 to 2023, initiatives have been conducted by both parties, including the As a Woman, I Choose to Live Proactively campaign, and the online contest Understanding Contraception, among others, which have helped more than 25 million women across the country receive direct advice on how to choose safe birth control methods and avoid unplanned pregnancies.

Building on this momentum, the second phase of the Family Planning Communication Programme for Public Health (2021-2025) will utilise digital platforms to improve the communication efficiency of the rights and benefits of all individuals to implement family planning measures.

The cooperation focuses on the three goals of helping women make informed decisions about their pregnancy, avoid obstetric complications, and prevent unwanted pregnancies, improving both their family lives and careers.

The Bayer for Her campaign in Asia is championing women to find the best avenues to reach out to healthcare professionals, friends, and family, and not to suffer in silence.

The campaign, which has been shortlisted as a finalist in the SABRE Awards Asia-Pacific 2023, has gained traction over the past year, with over 18 local partners, non-governmental organisations in eight countries, thousands of healthcare professionals, and Bayer employees joining the cause.