Learn The Impact Of COVID-19 On Family Planning

As of February 2023, over 758 million people were infected and about 6.9 million lost their lives worldwide due to the impact of COVID-19.¹ At the same time, many businesses were forced to shut down which triggered mass layoffs and furloughs. This resulted in higher unemployment rates which led to an economic recession. Along with these issues, the pandemic also affected many other aspects of life, one of which was family planning. 

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), it was estimated that the pandemic affected contraceptive use for about 12 million women.² And, this resulted in nearly 1.4 million unintended pregnancies in 2020 across 115 low and middle-income countries.² So, in this article, let’s get to know the impact of COVID-19 on family planning in detail!

An Overview Of The Impact Of COVID-19 On Fertility Rates

During the lockdown, maternal and child services were seen to have a profound impact. And, these services include antenatal care, immunization, and outreach services by Anganwadi workers (a center providing care for mothers and young children in rural areas) and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs).³ 

The pandemic was also seen to affect sexual and reproductive health services in April - June 2020 as compared to April - June 2019. There was a significant reduction observed in injectable contraceptive usage by 43%, Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) by 50%, and Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCPs) by 21%.³ Plus, a decline in institutional deliveries by 28% and antenatal checkups by 27% was also observed.³

However, the impact of COVID-19 was seen to affect fertility behaviour and intentions in Higher-Income Countries (HICs) and Lower-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).⁴ Let us now check its impact in detail.

Effects Of Lockdown In Higher-Income Countries (HICs) And Lower-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)

When the pandemic hit, it was seen that most couples from Higher-Income Countries (HICs) were not planning to conceive due to the following reasons:⁵

• future economic issues 
• fear of passing on the infection to the baby
• shortage of healthcare professionals

However, a few couples aged between 31 to 46 had the desire for parenthood.⁵

On the other hand, a study implied that the practice of family planning is comparatively low in LMICs due to lack of awareness and resources. So, knowledge about proper spacing between pregnancies or the use of contraceptives isn’t clear in this population.⁵

Hence, among the less privileged sectors in LMICs, lack of access to birth control services due to the impact of COVID-19 might have led to an increase in:⁵

• unintended pregnancies
• unsafe abortions and
• maternal deaths

Putting It All Together!

The impact of COVID-19 was seen to cause tremendous trouble to the healthcare systems around the world, especially family planning services. But, despite this issue, the need for family planning remains the same.⁶ Through family planning programmes, women can gain access to contraceptives which can help them achieve their desired family size.⁷ However, it is also important for a woman to be aware and identify the potential factors that may affect her ability to conceive. And, one such factor is a woman’s fertility status! 

One simple way to gain insights into this is to get reproductive hormones tested. Keeping a track of hormones can help identify the potential problems that may arise when planning for parenthood. And, here’s when LifeCell’s OvaScore kit can come to the rescue. This kit tests for 9 hormones linked to a woman’s reproductive health and helps understand the fertility status better. 

So, whether you want to check your fertility status or plan for parenthood in future, OvaScore can be your go-to buddy!