COVID’s Impact on Maternal Health & Unplanned Pregnancies
By: Nitisha Gautam
The SARS-COV-19 global pandemic has sparked economic and social consequences that have altered the outlook of globalization and day-to-day activities most of us took for granted. Amidst this novel and challenging time, we face a key obstacle: the COVID-19 pandemic has indirectly and directly affected maternal health and unplanned pregnancies.
Peter Beech, a World Economic Forum writer, sheds light on the battle global health authorities are facing after the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a reduction in women’s healthcare access. Specifically, statistics demonstrate spikes in domestic violence and maternal mortality with government funding moving from reproductive vital health services and social support to COVID-19 pandemic relief. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has released a warning that the coronavirus outbreak has caused severe disruptions to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) access and gender-based violence (GBV) services during a time crucial to most women and girls (3).
One case study examined Dr. Daniel Cruz Galarza, a physician in Cidra, Puerto Rico, found that there has been an increase in the number of unintended pregnancies during the lockdown. Most of these pregnancies fall in the age groups of 14 and 18, and most women do not have the economic resources to take care of their respective children (2). The physician explained that the most effective solution to this crisis would be “long-acting reversible contraception,” such as intrauterine devices. With an influx in unplanned pregnancies, the medical and public sector has moved its focus to IUDs. With an IUD, Dr. Hei-Han Wong - an associate medical director at Los Angeles’s Saban Community Clinic - explains that it only requires one-time insertion rather than repeated visits. Therefore, it has the potential to prevent exposure to COVID-19, reduce money spent on multiple doctor visits, and empower women to manage birth control on their lifestyles (2). However, oftentimes these products are too expensive for many women to afford.
The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic span much farther than unplanned pregnancies. On a social and economic level, the pandemic has negatively disproportionately affected cis and trans women. Underrepresentation of women in the government is one cause of the U.S. Appeal Court in a few states (Ohio, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and momentarily Texas) ruling in favor of banning all nonessential abortions. This ruling includes those done through pill ingestion, which accounts for a third of all abortions. Currently, medical abortions are not “surgical procedures that require the use of medical facilities, resources, or protective equipment.” From an economic standpoint, the Tiemeier and Kotlar study,“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal health,” points to how unintended pregnancies cause strain on families during a time of increased job and income loss (1). Contrary to popular belief, the socioeconomic consequences women face during the pandemic tend to be similar among high- and low-income countries.
Data on maternal health and reproductive policy impact during this pandemic needs to be more representative of various demographic groups. More data can provide insight into the mother-to-child transmission of COVID-19, increased risk of distress and psychiatric problems during pregnancy and postnatally, maternal morbidity, and female domestic violence (1). With COVID-19 causing healthcare systems to get overwhelmed, government leaders need to make strategic decisions to maintain essential health service delivery towards women’s choices and rights to sexual and reproductive health care.
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Kotlar, B., Gerson, E., Petrillo, S., Langer, A., & Tiemeier, H. (2020). The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal health: A scoping review. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-96736/v1
Meyers, T. (2021, February 11). Covid-19 has Interrupted reproductive health CARE. iuds are providing a solution. Retrieved February 27, 2021, from https://www.directrelief.org/2021/02/covid-19-has-interrupted-reproductive-health-care-iuds-are-providing-a-solution/
Covid-19: How does it affect women's sexual and reproductive health? (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2021, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-covid-19-affects-womens-sexual-and-reproductive-health#COVID-19-threatens-abortion-rights