1. Women’s Health Discussion Paper
Women’s Health Discussion PaperWomen’s Health Discussion Paper• Women face a
number of unique health problems• Poor health of women can have enormous
consequences on society• The health of children depends in many ways on the health of
their mothers• Women’s health is linked closely with the SDGsBiological Determinants•
Iron deficiency anemia related to menstruation• Complications of pregnancy• Increased
susceptibility to some STIs• Health conditions, such as ovarian cancer, specific to women for
biological reasonsSocial Determinants• Male preference in some societies is sometimes
expressed through female abortion or infanticide• Young female children often fed less
nutritious food than male children, which can have long-term effects• Low social status
linked to physical and sexual abuse and also depression• Household roles can lead to
women cooking with poor ventilation indoors, associated with respiratory disease• Poverty,
lack of or low levels of education, and low social status limit access to health careORDER
COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION PAPERS ON Women’s Health Discussion PaperMaternal
deaththe death of a woman while pregnant, during delivery, or within 42 days of
mortality rat - & lower middle income
(mostly bleeding after childbirth)• infections (usually after childbirth)• high blood pressure
during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia)• complications from delivery• unsafe
abortionRacial/ethnic disparities in pregnancyrelated mortality in U.S.During 2011–2015,
the pregnancy-related mortality ratios were:• 42.8 deaths per 100,000 live births for black
non-Hispanic women.• 32.5 deaths per 100,000 live births for American Indian/Alaskan
Native nonHispanic women.• 14.2 deaths per 100,000 live births for Asian/Pacific Islander
non-Hispanic women.• 13.0 deaths per 100,000 live births for white non-Hispanic women.•
11.4 deaths per 100,000 live births for Hispanic women.Abortionthe premature expulsion
or loss or embryo, which may be induced or spontaneousSex-Selective AbortionThe practice
of aborting a fetus after a determination that the fetus is an undesired sex, typically female•
Rising incomes and levels of education have led to more sex-selective abortion in these
countries• Skewed ratios of males to females in some countries• India: 112 males born for
every 100 females• China: 111 males born for every 100 females• Close to 10 million female
fetuses aborted in India in the last 20 years.Unsafe abortion• Safe abortions are performed
“by trained healthcare providers, with proper equipment, technique, and
2. sanitarystandards”• There are about 25 million unsafe abortions each year• Only about
60% of abortions are safe• Unsafe abortions are associated with 13% of maternal
deathsObstetric FistulaAn injury in the birth canal, a hole opens up between the vagina and
either the bladder or rectum that allows leakage,leaving a woman permanently incontinent•
About 50,000 to 100,000 women each year will suffer a fistula• Women with fistulas are
often stigmatized or abandoned• Risk factors are those associated with• Obstructed
delivery• FGM• Trauma• Lack of access to emergency careFemale Genital Mutilation
(FGM)‘Estimated 200 million females worldwide have had some form of genital cutting•
Predominantly in 30 countries• Practice appears to be diminishing• East Africa – from 71%
in 1995 to 8% in 2016• West Africa – from 74 % in 1996 to 25 % in 2017• North Africa –
from 58 % in 1990 to 4% in 2015• FGM is practiced due to a number of factors• Many
consequences as a result of FGMViolence and Sexual Abuse Against Women• UNAIDS
estimates 10–50% of women worldwide have been abused physically by a partner• Can
lead to injuries, unwanted pregnancy, STIs, depression, disability, and death• Risk factors
include low socioeconomic status, young age of the male partner, and gender
inequalityFamily planning • Family planning • Birth spacing • Contraception • Physical
barriers – condoms, diaphragms • Oral – birth control pills • Hormonal – patch, injections,
vialsplaced under the skin• Intrauterine devices (IUDs) • Tubal ligation & vasectomy•
Abortion • Miscarriage– spontaneous abortion
