According to the World Health Organization (WHO), reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. Reproductive health implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so.
In general, reproductive health concerns all genders alike. Human bodies are comprised of organs and hormone-producing glands, including the pituitary gland in the brain. Ovaries in females and testicles in males are reproductive organs, or gonads, that maintain the health of their respective systems. They also function as glands because they produce and release hormones
Further, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is important to keep a woman’s body well washed and cleaned to prevent infections and any long term health disease. However, it is important to keep in mind that women are not the only people whose bodies matter. It is the children, the men and all the members belonging to the queer community (in short, every human being) who needs to take proper care of their bodies. The special focus on women is shed by most governments and organizations because they are seen to be more prone to deaths, acts of violence, diseases and mental health concerns over the ages due to the unfair marginalization of them and their needs in an otherwise patriarchal society. According to WHO, of some 100 million people who were targeted in 2015 with humanitarian aid, an estimated 26 million are women and girls of reproductive age. Women and girls have specific needs in relation to their sexual and reproductive health and face significant and diverse challenges to their human rights and well-being.
A woman’s body typically goes through several stages in their lives including puberty, menarche, fertility, pregnancy, ageing, menopause and its effects which simultaneously lead through varying mental and emotional health concerns. Routine screenings, proper wash and hygiene, annual visits to a gynaecologist and increased awareness of these bodily functions are necessary and important in the lives of women, hence, the further stress on women’s sexual and reproductive health concerns around the world.
The following are a few challenges around reproductive health:
- Cultural norms and ideological opposition to family planning and abortion, among other matters, often impede access to services, both before and during a crisis.
- Insufficient data makes it difficult to quantify the need for care and to design and evaluate evidence-based interventions.
- Financial shortfalls lead to chronic underfunding of reproductive health care, in particular in areas like safe abortion and family planning.
- Weak overall health systems, which have often de-prioritized reproductive health already, are easily overwhelmed by a crisis and unable to recover quickly.
These few long-standing and structural challenges are being looked into across the world now, especially in countries like India where neither much information nor much awareness has been generated around reproductive health in general.
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Written by Ahendrila Goswami