A UK government drive aims to increase access to contraception and safe abortion in developing countries.
International development secretary Andrew Mitchell is now launching a consultation on the issue.
The department's programme budget is ring-fenced from cuts - but Mr Mitchell said it therefore had a "double duty" to demonstrate value for money.
He says he has identified "sub-optimal" spending worth £178m by the Department for International Development (DfID).
DfID wants to see women having easier access to long-acting contraception - such as implants and injections.
Botched or illegal abortions are thought to result in 70,000 deaths a year in developing countries.
A Millennium Development Goal aims to address these problems, but the target has seemed unlikely to be met.
Mr Mitchell said: "I'm not entering the ring at all on whether one should be for or against abortion.
"The focus of my attention is the fact that thousands of women die every year from unsafe abortions. I want to bring that figure down sharply.
"We have a golden opportunity within our grasp if not to eradicate these maternal-related deaths, then to reduce them significantly."
DfID offices within developing countries and other experts are being asked to contribute ideas within the next 12 weeks.
Officials have been told to put a new emphasis on delivering results and monitoring data, as opposed to simply making announcements about spending allocations.
More on http://www.ippf.org/
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