Women Health & Covid

• In Hyderabad, a woman dies of neo-natal complications after being denied admission in 10 hospitals.
• In Mumbai, at least 4 pregnant women were denied admission to hospital on an emergency basis till COVID-negative reports came.
• In Bengaluru, a pregnant woman reporting of breathlessness was turned away by 3 hospitals fearing COVID.

Source: The Times Of India (April 30, 2020)

Is women health being relegated to the backseat in the wake of Coronavirus?

Sanitary napkins were not even considered essential items in the initial days of lockdown.

Immunization has been postponed indefinitely so is IVF treatment. Understandably for the best interest of patient but do we know the impact it creates on mental health. It had been ingrained in our minds through widespread campaigns that immunization dates must not be messed up by even a day. New mothers are supposed to set a date alarm reminder for dates of immunization administration. Now, suddenly these mothers are told that it is ok to miss the date. The stress only leads to missing of their period dates.

In villages, Asha workers have been diverted towards COVID tracking and management tasks thereby completely neglecting the maternal care and watchfulness of mortality metric.

A woman took high dose hormone injections, visited IVF clinic regularly, paid the bills in full (Rs 1 to 2 Lakhs), went through egg retrieval process (for the uninitiated it is the first of the two-phase procedure of IVF), and when finally her endometrium lining was ready to receive the embryo, BAM! Coronavirus hits. She happily reaches the clinic for her embryo transfer (a procedure to receive her baby in the uterus) and is being coldly told by the clinics that all IVF procedures have been halted. No clarity, no understanding. She goes back to zero in her treatment journey as anxiety is high and anxiety kills chances of successful IVF. Once corona ends, she will have to start over again. Not to forget that money that is now stuck with the clinic.

Women are working from home and working for home. She is expected to happily take upon the newly added tasks to the long list of tasks that she already has. Woman, the glorified one is supposed to feel all doe-eyed and happy because her family is all together and at home. Wasn’t this the definition of love and family that she always daydreamed about. The society puts more and more pressure. The woman shrinks and shrinks. Domestic violence is on the rise.

The woman feels torn. Her parents are also somewhere there alone and old needing help amidst this unprecedented environment but the patriarchal society allows her only a few phone calls (Oh! She can make video calls now). Her heart is there, her responsibility is here.

All this plays havoc with her periods but nothing to worry. Period issues need no special attention as women ought to bear the burden of it. It happens to all women, all the time and who goes to doctor for period issues anyways? So we are told not to give too much importance to some fluctuating parameters.

And, then these parameters keep manifesting over the years and transform into PCOS, endometriosis or infertility. Guns are pointed again towards her. She bears the brunt of infertility. She, who can’t be a mother, is unfit to be called a woman in true sense. We begin to believe and shrink further.

Women master the art of suppressing their self.

The Road Ahead

Femtech thought leaders, women and reproductive right activists are deeply worried about the road ahead. Some of the fears are:

·        Will the international grants and fund be largely reallocated and diverted?

·        Will women health especially emotional health, the intangible and unaccounted issue; get due recognition as a problem area?

·        Will the already nascent femtech industry suffer from investor indifference?

·        Will women rights activism need to prove their relevance even more?

·        Will women reproductive health awareness and accessibility be overshadowed by the immediate need for COVID management?

I agree that this is a war-like situation wherein resources get diverted and masses are inconvenienced. However, it is equally important to reflect upon collateral damage (as said in war language) and be mindful of the fact that historically also women have been most affected in war situations.

My submission is simple:

BALANCE

More than the disease it is the fear of the disease that breaks you. And, the fear of covid 19 is at epic proportions. We need to know the fine line between preparation and paranoia. We can’t put a blanket cover over all other issues for life will continue, so will periods.

REASSURE

Sometimes, home is not the safest place to be in. As society and policymakers of After Corona world, we have to be mindful and sensitive. Sometimes, empathy towards women’s issues, acknowledgement of existence itself plays a crucial role in establishing the required order.

COMMUNICATE

Fear, paranoia, over-worked mind and body lead to miscommunication. Women are control freaks (generalization but mostly true) and in the current scenario, there is absolutely no sense of control, system or routine. Thus, the role of effective & repeated communication not only through words but with suitable follow-up actions can’t be undermined. Engage the impact makers and create an effective mechanism for dissemination for relevant communication.

PROACTIVE

Women are the biggest procrastinators when it comes to their health. The child sneezes once and quick they run to make soup or give a pill. However, they won’t address their health for either it is trivial (in their minds) and will cause unnecessary discomfort to the family. Add to this the coronavirus situation! Quite easily they keep the needs of all other family members at priority. How can she even selfishly think about her own self amidst this pandemic? “I am fine”, that’s all she says with a wry smile. Methodologies, infrastructure and processes transforming social behaviour of women’s health should get an impetus. Women health can be achieved through concerted efforts to various stakeholders. 

I hope that Coronavirus pandemic, in the long run, doesn’t become the easiest excuse for overlooking all other things – for firing, for economic slowdown and for ignoring women health.

Author: Gitanjali Banerjee, Founder - Fertility Dost

This article highlights women health associated issues during and after the Coronavirus pandemic and urges readers to reflect upon how much this negligence will cost. Gitanjali, a femtech startup founder (Fertility Dost) and women’s reproductive rights activist is worried about women health becoming a non-essential item for policymakers in post Covid era.