Reproductive Health Service includes access to information and services on prevention, diagnosis, counseling, treatment and care, and requires that all people can safely reach services without travelling a long distance or wasting time.
Accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Information and Services:
A Mixed Methods Study of Young Women’s Needs and Experiences in South Africa.
In South Africa, the complex relationship between progressive laws and unmet need offers unique opportunities and challenges. South African law guarantees access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and death from unsafe abortion has declined by more than 90% since the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act was passed in 1996.
However, the country’s maternal mortality rate remains unacceptably high, and many women face obstacles to getting a safe, legal abortion. South Africa still has high rates of HIV and unintended pregnancy, and young women face particular challenges to protecting their health and exercising their rights: One in three women aged 15-24 experiences an unintended pregnancy before the age of 20 and among females aged 15 to 24, HIV incidence is more than four times higher than the incidence of males in the same group.
Ibis opened its Johannesburg office in 2003 and we have an established network of NGO, university, and government partners throughout South Africa. We have built a rich body of work on South African young women’s SRH that has included participatory research with young women and community members in urban and rural settings, trainings for health care providers, and the development of SRH curricula.
We now lead a national forum to address teenage pregnancy comprised of NGOs, government agencies, and researchers. We also conduct clinical research focused on improving abortion access and quality of care.
Our research on medication abortion helped pave the way to the roll-out of medication abortion in public sector clinics in the country. We have led a number of completed and ongoing studies focused on improving second-trimester abortion care.
Ibis Reproductive Health, Johannesburg, South Africa; 2Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 3National Department of Social Development, South Africa; 4 Ibis Reproductive Health, Cambridge, MA, USA; 5Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; 6Consultant, Iowa City, IA, USA
What service is given by reproductive health care In South Africa?
A sexual and reproductive health programme has five major components: maternal and newborn health; family planning; prevention of unsafe abortion; management of re- productive tract infections (RTIs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS; and promotion of sexual health.
What are the challenges faced in reproductive health In South Africa?
Some of the challenges faced by adolescents across the world include early pregnancy and parenthood, difficulties accessing contraception and safe abortion, and high rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
What are the advantages of reproductive health services in our society In South Africa?
Among the many benefits of reproductive health are improving family and community well being, boosting economic gains, saving women’s and children’s lives, and greatly curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS – benefits that go a long way in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
How reproductive health services are affected by literacy rates In South Africa?
Studies examining the relationship between health literacy, sexual behaviors and sexually transmitted diseases reached the conclusion that women with lower health literacy were associated with earlier sexual debut, they more frequently reported unprotected intercourse during the first sexual intercourse
How do you manage reproductive health In South Africa?
Information and Services
Offer age-appropriate comprehensive sex education.
Use mass media.
Provide adolescent-friendly contraceptive services.
Expand access to and promotion of the use of condoms and other contraceptives.
Implement programs for out-of-school and married adolescents.
What happens when we don’t take care of your reproductive health In South Africa?
Infertility or reduced fertility (difficulty getting pregnant). Menstrual problems including heavy or irregular bleeding. Polycystic ovary syndrome, ovaries produce more male hormones than normal. Problems during pregnancy.