Overview of the Effects of COVID-19 on Global Reproductive Health

Mar 24

By: Jenny Li

What is the health burden on women and girls?

In the midst of a devastating global pandemic, the progress towards improving sexual and reproductive health for women and girls has halted and, in some cases, even regressed. Long-standing barriers to reproductive health resources have further escalated the impact as health care systems are unable to provide reproductive health services. When women and girls cannot access contraceptives, period products, abortion, and other essential reproductive services they are denied the right to control their bodies, thus restricting their agency.

How does COVID-19 create barriers to RH education and resources?

Reproductive health burdens are not solely a result of an individual's inability to take care of their own health, but rather a result of systemic barriers to reproductive health education and resources. These barriers have been reinforced by the pandemic as fewer people have had access to sexual health education, with those from marginalized and poor households even less likely to have access to education and resources. Over 214 million children are out of school as of early 2021 [1]. This is largely due to a combination of an unequal distribution of resources and poverty. Even if these resources are attainable, there still exist issues of internet connectivity, lack of privacy, and unstable family dynamics [2]. Additionally, women and girls who are able to access online education are often subject to additional harassment and abuse online, decreasing the likelihood that they will continue online education [3]. Without school, girls become especially vulnerable to different types of violence, such as child marriage [2]. Receiving an education is also oftentimes the only way to escape poverty and create opportunity [4], so it is vital that women and girls are given the best chance at attaining an education.

What are the effects of the diversion of resources from RH services to COVID-19 services?

Prior to the pandemic, rates of unintended pregnancies have decreased since 1990 [5]. During the lockdown, the rates of teen pregnancy and child marriage has increased globally [2]. The increase in teen pregnancies is correlated with an increase in maternal mortality and is currently a leading cause of death for girls [6]. Women and girls from marginalized and poor households are at an even higher risk for these health burdens. Though rates of unintended pregnancies have decreased, the number of abortions due to unintended pregancies has not. Women and girls in lower income countries continue to seek abortion services even when it is restricted, indicating the importance of increasing access to reproductive health services [5]. The Ebola pandemic produced similar patterns where a diminished focus on reproductive health led to and increase in reproductive health burdens. The pandemic threatens to further decrease the already limited reproductive health services currently available by redirecting resources towards COVID-19 services. This can be devastating to women’s health as a redirection of just 10% in reproductive health services towards COVID-19 related services can lead to an increase of 49 million women without contraception and 15 million women with unintended pregnancies [7]. A redirection of resources includes the shutdown of the manufacturing of contraceptives or essential parts for contraceptives. It also includes diverting human resources, such as medical staff, towards COVID-19 related services.

What are some solutions?

Local and federal governments must meet the needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations as those are the individuals that prior to the pandemic had already faced barriers to achieving reproductive health. To combat the lack of resources from health care systems, it is first important to make these limited resources as accessible as possible. Women and girls can be equipped with the resources by delivering service to their homes. Reproductive health services, such as abortion, should also be declared essential, thus allowing people to travel in order to meet these health needs without fear of consequence. New and innovative methods of care should be implemented. One example of this is telehealth. Though the potential harms of telehealth must also be understood, and an effort towards ameliorating these harms must be made. Finally, the diversion of resources, whether monetary resources or human resources, away from reproductive health services should be prevented. Although COVID-19 has had highly detrimental effects on the general population, there exists certain structural barriers that make women and girls especially vulnerable to this disease. By bettering their reproductive health, they are simultaneously being protected from COVID-19. The effort towards recovering from the regression in reproductive health globally must focus not only on returning to a pre-pandemic but also on addressing the barriers that created an inequitable access to health services prior to the pandemic. This means focusing on the social determinants that have historically limited the agency of women and girls, especially those in vulnerable and marginalized communities.

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Nikki Mahendru

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