Manila – A recent study published in The Lancet Global Health has highlighted that approximately 40 million women worldwide experience long-term health problems resulting from childbirth each year. The research emphasizes the prolonged nature of postnatal conditions, noting that these issues often persist for months or even years after giving birth.
According to Philippines News Agency, ensuring effective care throughout pregnancy and childbirth is crucial in identifying risks and preventing complications that can lead to lasting health problems.
Pascale Allotey, the director of sexual and reproductive health and research at the World Health Organization (WHO), emphasized the significant emotional and physical suffering these postpartum conditions cause in women’s daily lives. Allotey stressed the need for women to have access to a range of services from healthcare providers who listen to their concerns and meet their needs, not only for survival during childbirth but for maintaining good health and quality of life.
The study revealed a lack of recent high-quality guidelines to support effective treatment for 40% of the 32 priority conditions analyzed during a literature review covering the last 12 years. Notably, it failed to find a single high-quality guideline from a low- or middle-income country. The study advocates for a multidisciplinary health system that offers high-quality and respectful maternity services, prevents ill health, and mitigates the impact of broader inequities, especially to support the most vulnerable women and girls.