Not only is microfinance empowering women economically, it also has the potential to help improve women's sexual and reproductive health, a report from the United Nations Population Fund and Research and Applications for Alternative Financing for Development argues. Based on a survey of women microfinance clients in fourteen developing countries, the report, Exploring Linkages: Women's Empowerment, Microfinance and Health Education (15 pages, PDF), found a correlation between microfinance use and the four elements of women's empowerment as defined by the United Nations: the right and power to control their own lives, access opportunities and resources, and make choices, as well as a sense of self-worth. Survey results also suggest that when health education services (especially with an HIV/AIDS component) were provided in conjunction with financial services, contraception use, family planning discussions, and awareness of the risks of HIV infection increased while domestic violence decreased, resulting in a positive impact on women's empowerment and sexual and reproductive health.