Alia Mohammed – Women in Development and Peace
A 2023 World Health Organization report on maternal mortality showed an unacceptable increase in maternal deaths; approximately 287,000 women died during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period in 2020. About 95% of these deaths occurred in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, and most could have been prevented with appropriate healthcare.
The same report indicated that women in low-income countries face a higher risk of death related to pregnancy or childbirth complications throughout their lives. This risk is expressed as the probability of a 15-year-old woman dying from childbirth-related causes. In high-income countries, this rate is 1 in 5,300 women, while in low-income countries, it rises to 1 in 49.
In Yemen, women face numerous reproductive health risks that significantly impact their lives and health. These problems are associated with pregnancy, childbirth, sexual health, and family planning.
This report examines the health effects of these risks, highlighting the challenges women face in Yemen and the requirements for improving their health conditions.
Key Reproductive Health Risks
Reproductive health risks in Yemen are sensitive and complex issues. Numerous factors exacerbate them, directly affecting women’s lives and health. These risks encompass various aspects, including pregnancy, childbirth, sexually transmitted diseases, and a lack of family planning services. Among the most prominent risks are increased health complications during pregnancy and childbirth due to inadequate healthcare; lack of awareness and services related to family planning, leading to high rates of closely spaced births; lack of awareness about sexual and reproductive health; poor nutrition and malnutrition, etc.
These risks have negative impacts on the health of both mother and child; they increase the likelihood of maternal mortality during childbirth, increase birth rates, and the frequency of pregnancies, increasing the economic burden on families. The lack of healthcare and proper nutrition leads to long-term health issues.
Dr. Ashwaq Muharram, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, explains that reproductive health is defined as “a state of physical and mental well-being related to reproductive aspects from puberty to menopause.”
She adds that this concept includes several key elements, including the ability to achieve pregnancy and childbirth without difficulties and access to good healthcare services, including regular checkups and treatment when needed.
She points out that reproductive health in Yemen faces significant challenges, with the deterioration of the health situation exacerbating the risks threatening pregnant women and mothers. They suffer from a severe shortage of essential healthcare, making them vulnerable to serious health complications.
Dr. Ashwaq explains that regular checkups and continuous monitoring ensure pregnancy safety and protect women from related health risks and problems. Through these checkups, early detection of problems affecting pregnancy, such as infections, hormonal disorders, or cancers like breast and cervical cancer, is possible through medical swabs.
However, she adds that many Yemeni women do not consult health centers before childbirth, depriving them of the opportunity for early detection of these risks and endangering their lives. Pregnant women often experience serious complications during pregnancy, such as severe bleeding, high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and other health problems.
She emphasizes that early marriage is one of the issues most negatively affecting women’s reproductive health. Young girls often face serious complications during pregnancy and childbirth, such as high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and difficult labor.
Dr. Muharram believes that the lack of family planning methods is a factor increasing women’s health risks. This leads to high rates of unplanned pregnancies, imposing significant psychological and physical stress on women, and increasing the likelihood of health complications.
Abortion and its Effects
Abortion, defined as the loss of a pregnancy before the fetus can survive outside the womb, is a significant risk for mothers and can lead to serious health consequences.
Dr. Ashwaq Muharram explains that abortion is sometimes performed for medical reasons, such as maternal health problems or fetal abnormalities. However, abortion remains a cause of increased maternal mortality due to the physical and psychological stress women experience during the procedure. Regarding the causes of abortion, Dr. Muharram explains that some are natural due to falls or medical reasons such as bleeding, infections, poor nutrition, or maternal weakness.
She adds, “An abortion procedure may be accompanied by several risks and complications, such as anemia, poisoning, and infections, especially if the uterus is not properly cleaned of pregnancy remnants, which can lead to severe bleeding and sometimes death if not treated promptly. In addition, infections resulting from abortion can cause future complications, including affecting future fertility.”
Premarital Checkups and Their Importance
Premarital medical checkups are a vital step in promoting reproductive health and ensuring the well-being of individuals. They help detect genetic diseases and health conditions that may affect children’s health.
Dr. Ashwaq emphasizes the importance of these checkups, describing them as an essential step toward achieving sound reproductive health.
She explains that premarital checkups help detect potential genetic risks that may be passed from parents to children, especially if there are common family factors or genes linked to birth defects. She mentioned that these checkups can reveal the possibility of having children with diseases such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, and thalassemia. They also help protect couples from sexually transmitted diseases, promote their general and psychological health, and enable them to make informed decisions about future reproduction.
Solutions and Treatments
Dr. Ashwaq pointed to several important solutions to reduce the risks of pregnancy and its complications, emphasizing the need for pregnancy planning, choosing appropriate timings, and spacing births using appropriate contraception methods. She believes these steps contribute to maintaining good reproductive health for women. Regular medical checkups, regular visits to the doctor to monitor the health of the mother and fetus and following a balanced diet rich in essential vitamins and minerals are essential steps to protect the mother and fetus from health risks.
The doctor also stressed the importance of raising awareness, improving education, and enacting laws to prevent child marriage to reduce pregnancy complications and mortality rates. A mechanism should be put in place that requires first-degree relatives or those with a family history of genetic diseases to undergo premarital medical checkups. She stressed the need for educational awareness programs that inform women about their health rights, potential risks, and how to avoid them. Integrating reproductive health topics into secondary school curricula, conducting training courses, and allowing health educators to visit schools to educate young people are all necessary steps. She also called for training and qualifying healthcare workers to provide appropriate care in the field of reproductive health.
Generally, Yemen requires comprehensive efforts to enhance healthcare, raise awareness of reproductive health, provide family planning services, and improve education and economic empowerment for women. This requires coordination and cooperation with all local and international entities.