Transcript Chapter Nine Women’s Health The Importance of Women’s Health • Being born female is dangerous to your health, especially in low- and middle-income countries •

Chapter Nine
Women’s Health
The Importance of Women’s Health
• Being born female is dangerous to your health,
especially in low- and middle-income
countries
• Women’s health is linked closely with the
MDGs
Table 9.2: Selected Definitions on
Women’s Health
Data from University of Kentucky HealthCare. Glossary Index. Available at: http://www.ukhealthcare.uky.edu/content/content.asp?pageid=P00527.
Accessed April 15, 2007; University of New South Wales. UNSW Embryology Glossary Index. Available at: http://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/Notes/
Index/index.htm. Accessed April 15, 2007; The White Ribbon Alliance. Glossary. Available at: http://www.whiteribbonalliance.org/Resources/default.
cfm?a0=Glossary. Accessed April 15, 2007; Wikipedia. Sepsis. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepsis. Accessed April 15, 2007.
Table 9.2: Selected Definitions (cont.)
The Determinants of Women’s Health
Biological Determinants
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Iron deficiency anemia related to menstruation
Complications of pregnancy
Increased susceptibility to some infections
Conditions, such as ovarian cancer, specific to
women
The Determinants of Women’s Health
Social Determinants
Related to gender norms and roles
• Female abortion or infanticide
• Often fed less nutritious food than male children
• Male dominance leads to physical and sexual
abuse
• Cooking with poor ventilation contributes to
respiratory disease
• Low social status limits access to health care
The Burden of Health Conditions for
Females
Sex-Selective Abortion
• Skewed ratios of males to females in some
countries, including China, India, Taiwan,
Singapore, South Korea
• Rising incomes and levels of education have
led to more sex-selective abortion in these
countries
The Burden of Health Conditions for
Females
Female Genital Cutting
• Estimated 100-140 million worldwide have had
some form of genital cutting performed on them
• Practice appears to be diminishing
• Can initially cause shock, infection or
hemorrhaging
• Long-term problems include retention of urine,
infertility, and obstructed labor
The Burden of Health Conditions for
Females
Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Biologically more susceptible
• Risk factors for women are young age, sex
with high risk partners, and inability to use a
condom
• 1.9% of total DALYs lost to women aged 1544 were due to STIs
The Burden of Health Conditions for
Females
Violence 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, proximity to
alcohol, and gender inequality
The Burden of Health Conditions for
Women
Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
• Estimates suggest that there are about 342,000
maternal deaths per year
• 50% of all maternal deaths occur in six
countries- Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo
The Burden of Health Conditions for
Women
• 20% of maternal deaths are from indirect
causes, 80% are from direct causes
• Risk factors include general health and
nutrition, level of education and income,
ethnicity, location, age, and having a skilled
birth attendant present
The Burden of Health Conditions for
Women
Unsafe Abortion
• A “safe” abortion is one performed by a
trained healthcare provider, with proper
equipment, technique, and sanitary standards
• Estimates suggest that 70,000 women die from
unsafe abortions every year
• Rates of unsafe abortion vary among regions
Figure 9.2: Unsafe abortion
The Burden of Health Conditions for
Women
Obstetric Fistula
• Condition in which a hole opens up between
bladder and vagina or rectum and vagina
• 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 an
obstructed delivery
Differences Between the Health of
Men and Women
• Greater focus has recently been put on the
extent to which gender discrimination affects
women’s health
• 19 conditions disproportionately affect
women- some are specific to women, some are
related to women’s higher life expectancy,
some are a result of gender discrimination
The Cost and Consequences of
Women’s Health Problems
• Violence, STIs, and fistula tend to isolate
women socially
• When a woman dies in childbirth, her family is
typically left without a primary caregiver
• Substantial economic costs from women’s
health issues
Addressing Future Challenges
Female Genital Cutting
• Efforts that promote change need to be
specifically tailored to local practices and
beliefs
• Promote female empowerment, education, and
control over economic resources
Addressing Future Challenges
Violence Against Women
• Protecting women through legislation
• Shelters for abused women
• Ensuring police, judges, and healthcare
workers are trained to deal with violence
against women in effective ways
Table 9.4: Selected Measures to
Reduce Intimate Partner Violence
Addressing Future Challenges
Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Surveillance of STIs
• Program of health education
• Appropriately trained health workers to
provide proper treatment
Addressing Future Challenges
Maternal Mortality
• Provide hygienic and appropriate post-abortion
care at the lowest level of the health system
possible
• Provide effective family planning methods
• Births attended by a skilled healthcare provider
• Enhance emergency obstetric care