Responding to the Essential Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs for Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review

Larki, Mona; Sharifi, Farid; Manouchehri, Elham; Roudsari, Robab Latifnejad

doi:10.21315/mjms2021.28.6.2

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Our ndings complement the report of previous quantitative studies in Nigeria: Adelekan et al reported a 2-6% reduction in utilisation of various SRH services in primary healthcare settings in Nigeria [16] while Balogun and colleagues reported that about a third of the women seeking SRH care in Lagos during the lockdown had a challenge with accessing orthodox services [18]. Results from other settings also show that the Nigerian experience is similar to what obtains in several sub-Saharan African countries and other lowand middle-income settings [12,23,[27][28][29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…As the Guttmacher-Lancet Commission has noted, "Sexual and reproductive health and rights are fundamental to people's health and survival, to economic development, and to the wellbeing of humanity" [11]. Access to quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services plays a vital role in the well-being of a human being, and essential SRH services include contraceptive services, maternal and newborn care, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, control and care for other sexually transmitted infections other than HIV, safe abortion care; prevention, detection and counselling for gender-based violence; and counselling and care for sexual health and well-being [11,12]. Women are particularly at risk of negative SRH outcomes like unplanned pregnancy, maternal morbidity, and maternal mortality when there is reduced access to family planning and skilled birth attendants.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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When one door closes: a qualitative exploration of women’s experiences of access to sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

Adelekan

Ikuteyijo

Goldson

et al. 2022

Preprint

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BackgroundCOVID-19 pandemic widely disrupted health services provision, especially during the lockdown period, with females disproportionately affected. Very little is known about alternative healthcare sources used by women when access to conventional health services became challenging. This study examined the experiences of women and adolescent girls regarding access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria and their choices of alternative healthcare sources.MethodsThe study sites were two northern states, two southern states, and the Federal Capital Territory. Qualitative data were obtained through 10 focus group discussion sessions held with married adolescents, unmarried adolescents, and older women of reproductive age. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach and with the aid of Atlas ti software.ResultsWomen reported that access to family planning services was the most affected SRH services during the COVID-19 lockdown. Several barriers to accessing SRH services during COVID-19 lockdown were reported, including restriction of vehicular movement, harassment by law enforcement officers, fear of contracting COVID-19 from health facilities, and fear of undergoing compulsory COVID-19 tests when seeking care in health facilities. In the face of constrained access to SRH services in public sector facilities during the COVID-19 lockdown, women sought care from several alternative sources, mostly locally available and informal services, including medicine vendors, traditional birth attendants, and neighbours with some health experience. Women also widely engaged in self-medication, using both orthodox drugs and non-orthodox preparations like herbs. The lockdown negatively impacted on women’s SRH, with increased incidence of sexual- and gender-based violence, unplanned pregnancy resulting from lack of access to contraceptives, and early marriage involving adolescents with unplanned pregnancies. ConclusionCOVID-19 negatively impacted access to SRH services and forced women to utilise mostly informal service outlets and home remedies as alternatives to conventional health services. There is a need to ensure the continuity of essential SRH services during future lockdowns occasioned by disease outbreaks. Also, community systems strengthening that ensures effective community-based health services, empowered community resource persons, and health-literate populations are imperative for overcoming barriers to healthcare access during future lockdowns.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

When one door closes: a qualitative exploration of women’s experiences of access to sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

Adelekan

Ikuteyijo

Goldson

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As the Guttmacher-Lancet Commission has noted, “Sexual and reproductive health and rights are fundamental to people’s health and survival, to economic development, and to the wellbeing of humanity” [ 11 ]. Access to quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services plays a vital role in the well-being of a human being, and essential SRH services include contraceptive services; maternal and newborn care; prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS; control and care for other sexually transmitted infections other than HIV; safe abortion care; prevention, detection and counselling for gender-based violence; and, counselling and care for sexual health and well-being [ 11 , 12 ]. Women are particularly at risk of negative SRH outcomes like unplanned pregnancy, maternal morbidity, and maternal mortality when there is reduced access to family planning and skilled birth attendants [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reported impact varied considerably by geographies, social and health services contexts, and population settings. Overall, however, there are still significant gaps in knowledge regarding the effect of COVID-19 and lockdown on access to health services [ 24 ], and SRH services specifically [ 12 , 14 ]. A recent scoping review – published in the first quarter of 2022 – specifically noted that “qualitative studies available up to date are still limited in both number and scope” [ 24 ] regarding the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare access.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When one door closes: a qualitative exploration of women’s experiences of access to sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

Adelekan,

Ikuteyijo,

Goldson

et al. 2024

BMC Public Health

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Background COVID-19 pandemic widely disrupted health services provision, especially during the lockdown period, with females disproportionately affected. Very little is known about alternative healthcare sources used by women when access to conventional health services became challenging. This study examined the experiences of women and adolescent girls regarding access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria and their choices of alternative healthcare sources. Methods The study sites were two northern states, two southern states, and the Federal Capital Territory. Qualitative data were obtained through 10 focus group discussion sessions held with married adolescents, unmarried adolescents, and older women of reproductive age. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach and with the aid of Atlas ti software. Results Women reported that access to family planning services was the most affected SRH services during the COVID-19 lockdown. Several barriers to accessing SRH services during COVID-19 lockdown were reported, including restriction of vehicular movement, harassment by law enforcement officers, fear of contracting COVID-19 from health facilities, and fear of undergoing compulsory COVID-19 tests when seeking care in health facilities. In the face of constrained access to SRH services in public sector facilities during the COVID-19 lockdown, women sought care from several alternative sources, mostly locally available and informal services, including medicine vendors, traditional birth attendants, and neighbours with some health experience. Women also widely engaged in self-medication, using both orthodox drugs and non-orthodox preparations like herbs. The lockdown negatively impacted on women’s SRH, with increased incidence of sexual- and gender-based violence, unplanned pregnancy resulting from lack of access to contraceptives, and early marriage involving adolescents with unplanned pregnancies. Conclusion COVID-19 negatively impacted access to SRH services and forced women to utilise mostly informal service outlets and home remedies as alternatives to conventional health services. There is a need to ensure the continuity of essential SRH services during future lockdowns occasioned by disease outbreaks. Also, community systems strengthening that ensures effective community-based health services, empowered community resource persons, and health-literate populations are imperative for overcoming barriers to healthcare access during future lockdowns.

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“…In order to disconnect the transmission chain and decrease the pressure on the health system, governments adopted strategies including social distancing, quarantine practices, and postponing nonurgent medical treatments [18][19][20]. Even though access to fertility treatments is considered a reproductive right [1], due to the coronavirus pandemic and its unknown effect on fertility and pregnancy most fertility treatments were postponed [18,19].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Treatment Suspension Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic and Mental Health of Infertile Patients: A Systematic Review andMeta-Analysis

Iranifard,

Yas,

Ghezelhesari

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background Access to fertility treatments is considered a reproductive right, but because of the quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic most infertility treatments were suspended, which might affect the psychological and emotional health of infertile patients. Therefore, this study was conducted to review the relationship between treatment suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic and the mental health of infertile patients. Methods This study was conducted based on the Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guideline. The ISI, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane library databases were searched by two independent researchers, without time limitation until 31 December 2022. All observational studies regarding the mental health of infertile patients facing treatment suspension including anxiety, depression, and stress were included in the study. Qualitative studies, editorials, brief communications, commentaries, conference papers, guidelines, and studies with no full text were excluded. Quality assessment was carried out using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale by two researchers, independently. The random effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of mental health problems. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were used to confirm the sources of heterogeneity. Results Out of 681 studies, 21 studies with 5901 patients including 5306 female and 504 male infertile patients were systematically reviewed, from which 16 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results of all pooled studies showed that the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress in female patients was 48.4% (95% CI 34.8–62.3), 42% (95% CI 26.7–59.4), and 55% (95% CI 45.4–65), respectively. Additionally, 64.4% (95% CI 50.7–76.1) of patients wished to resume their treatments despite the coronavirus pandemic. Conclusion Treatment suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic negatively affected the mental health of infertile patients. It is important to maintain the continuity of fertility care, with special attention paid to mental health of infertile patients, through all the possible measures even during a public health crisis.

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Responding to the Essential Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs for Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review

Cited by 9 publications

References 15 publications

When one door closes: a qualitative exploration of women’s experiences of access to sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

When one door closes: a qualitative exploration of women’s experiences of access to sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

When one door closes: a qualitative exploration of women’s experiences of access to sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

The Relationship between Treatment Suspension Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic and Mental Health of Infertile Patients: A Systematic Review andMeta-Analysis

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