|
Home / Health
Reproductive Justice: Informed Life-choice
By:Diepiriye
Depo Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA) is one of the most widely researched and documented safe and reliable means of contraception. DMPA is 99.7% effective and lasts up to three months, making it a viable alternative to oral contraception and http://www.fhi.org/en/RH/Pubs/booksReports/methodaction.htm IUDs . Long-acting injectable contraceptives such as DMPA remove the daily tensions surrounding reproductive and sexual health, especially for those who find other methods impractical. Although proven safe and effective, the oral contraceptive pill is impractical for many and does not address the myriad of circumstances and concerns of many couples. Due to a variety of health concerns and individual needs, IUDs are clinically unsafe for many women. Expanding the basket of choices of contraceptives promotes the praxis of reproductive rights.
There are a plentitude of circumstances in which couples in the prime of their fertility may wish to delay pregnancy. For example, young, urban career-oriented couples may choose DMPA as a highly effective means of long-term fertility control. Young couples struggling to meet the needs of existing children may find DMPA a convenient and easy-to-use contraceptive method of choice. Other young couples may be eager to have their first child, yet wish to postpone further offspring. In these cases contraceptives serve as a 'spacing' method, permitting women and their spouses to concentrate on pursuing studies/training or rigorous career paths. 'Spacing' also represents a responsible and mature attitude towards fertility, cultivating better and more informed parenting.
Clinical, demographic and social science professionals alike conclude that an unmet need for contraceptives monopolizes a great deal of women's time. Time spent dealing with fertility reduces precious time for responsible and effective parenting, care-taking of elders, income generation and self-development. DMPA specifically addresses a constraint of parenthood- namely time and stress management. Poverty exacerbates these constraints where reduced access to health care services as well as education and training all work to limit life-choices.
Risky choices
A recent study in the Indian Journal of Pediatrics of pregnant women from six urban slums revealed an 80.6% prevalence of anemia. The researchers concluded that in most instances, anemia resulted from inadequate dietary intake of iron, of which 90.9% of study participants fell far short of the daily recommended allowance. DMPA may reduce menstrual bleeding and promote a slight weight gain, making it a wholly beneficial and life-enhancing alternative. Other non-contraceptive benefits of DMPA include a reduction of pain associated with endometriosis as well as the palliative treatment of certain http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/hrp/progress/33/news33_2.en.htm cancer.
Lactating mothers too often struggle with post-partum health, while at the same time seeking a reliable means of contraception that does not place her child at risk. The combined oral contraceptive pill is not a viable alternative for lactating mothers who harbor concerns over the effects of the quantity or quality of their breast milk. Lactating mothers may shoulder responsibilities towards her newborn child, existing children, spouse and other kin, rendering the daily attention and inflexibility of oral contraceptives an unnecessary hassle. DMPA has no adverse effects on breast milk while providing security and reassurance unparalleled.
Rights to Resources
Reproductive rights theorizes access to treatment and care, while reproductive justice works towards ensuring quality, safety, and practical access for women in a myriad of socio-economic circumstances. Purporting contraceptive choices as a reproductive right overlooks the varying circumstances which mediate a woman's personal agency and ability to decide. To transition from reproductive rights to reproductive justice it is necessary to expand the basket of choices to address the unmet needs for contraception and birth spacing as well as their practicality.
The utility of DMPA gives credence not only to reproductive health as a right, but also to reproductive justice by broadening the element of choice to a wider array of women, particularly those living in poverty or otherwise disenfranchised. Far too little research interrogates the intersection of poverty and unmet needs for pragmatic, safe and effective contraceptives. In real terms, poverty reduces access to education/training as well as quality health care. The unmet needs for contraception across all social-economic strata indicates an urgent necessity to re-examine these linkages in the form of expanding knowledge resources and availability of choices. Enhancing the basket of contraceptive choices can drastically enhance the lives of women in particular, and families in general, especially those traditionally disenfranchised.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: Unmet need, Family Planning, Spacing Method, Limiting Method, Method of Contraception, Lactation/Lactating Mothers, DMPA/Depo Provera, Contraceptive Choice, Basket of contraceptives, Reproductive Choice, Injectable, Birth Control, Progestin, Hormonal Contraception
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
References
www.ijppediatricsindia.org/article.asp?issn=0019-5456;year=2004;volume=71;issue=10;spage=946;epage=946;aulast=Shali
"> Shali T, Singh C, Goindi G. Prevalence of anemia amongst pregnant mothers and children in Delhi. Indian J Pediatr [serial online] 2004 [cited 2006 Apr 17];71:946-946.
|
|
| Top Health Articles |
- 1). Collarbone Injury By : Frank Vanderlugt
The clavicle or “collar bone” connects the scapula bone in the shoulder to the sternum in your chest. It functions to hold the shoulder upward and backward.
Clavicle fractures are common bone injuries. A break in the clavicle bone is usually a closed fracture that normally takes approximately 6 weeks to heal in an adult, 4 weeks in a child. The injury rarely requires surgery.
|
- 2). The Hottest Hair Trends And The Sexiest Hairstyles For 2007 By :
Copyright 2006 David Maillie
Hair has become unequivocally important as it can literally make one look like a movie star or a has been from Hee Haw, which died out many years ago. It is big enough that it is a multi billion dollar industry and the average bill in a salon is approaching $100. In the big cities with a hot hairstylist like Jonathon in Beverly Hills prices can easily top $500 for a cut and style.
|
- 3). Muscle Imbalance And Chronic Injuries By : Jeff P. Anliker, LMT
Injuries can occur anywhere and at anytime, but the most prevalent place of occurrence is in the workplace. The reason for such a high rate of injury is that people spend 8-18 hours a day, 5-7 days a week performing unidirectional (one-way) movement patterns, causing an imbalance in the musculoskeletal system that results in the overuse and under use of certain muscle groups.
|
- 4). Why Whey Protein? By : Sandy Knoll
With all of the recent negative press given to body supplements, it makes good sense to be cautions about using different nutritional supplements as a part of your body building efforts.
Whey protein has been lauded as a safe, natural and simple supplement. It's use has become popular for those genuinely interested in good health through physical fitness and body building.
|
- 5). Autism and its Generated Behavioral and Mental Impairments By : Groshan Fabiola
Autism is a complex neurological disorder that dramatically affects people’s behaviors and social interactions. The disorder can be revealed in early childhood, by the age of 3. Although the first signs of autism can sometimes be identified in infants, the disorder is usually discovered at a later stage of life. Autistic children present a wide range of behavioral abnormalities, and they can be easily identified among normal children.
|
- 6). Why Asbestos Cancer Affects More Men? By : Alfred J.James
Who needs to be examined?
Individuals who have been exposed (or suspect they have been exposed) to asbestos fibers on the job or at home via a family contact should inform their physician of their exposure history and any symptoms. Asbestos fibers can be measured in urine, feces, mucus, or material rinsed out of the lungs.
A thorough physical examination, including a chest x-ray and lung function tests, may be recommended.
|
- 7). The Benefits of Martial Arts Training By : Clint Leung
As any martial arts practitioner will tell you, there are multiple benefits in martial arts training. Of course, the most obvious benefit is a knowledge of self defense which is one of the major reasons why the martial arts were developed in the first place. Knowing how to defend oneself and loved ones in a potentially dangerous situation is an asset in today’s world just as it was hundreds of years ago.
|
- 8). Study Says Obesity May Be Caused By Virus By : Rick Hendershot
In new study published this month, a research team claims to have found evidence that a contagious virus can contribute to obesity.
The team found that a specific human adenovirus Ad-37 seems to trigger obesity in chickens. Previous studies had linked other adenoviruses -- Ad-36 and Ad-5 -- to obesity in animals.
These and other adenoviruses cause colds and other common illnesses in people.
|
- 9). How Long Will It Take To Gain Muscles| Build Muscle Mass By : Chris Chew
There are many factors to consider when you want to know how long will it take for you to gain and build muscle mass. Questions like are you eating enough and the right nutrients to accelerate muscle growth, are you exercising correctly and regularly and do you have the genes for quick muscle growth need to be addressed.
In this article, we shall discuss whether you have the genetic make up to gain and build muscles quickly.
|
- 10). Breathe Easy: Some Asthma Relief Tips By : Nick Carter
Asthma is the seventh-ranked chronic health condition in the United States and the leading chronic illness of children. It is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes airways (bronchial tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants.
During an asthma attack, tightening of the smooth muscles around the bronchial tubes causes them to become inflamed, narrow inside, and produce excess mucus.
|
| New Health Articles |
- 1). How To Break An Addiction By : John Morris
You need to evaluate the problem and find what triggers your addicts and what specific need it is using. Once you have determined that, you can begin breaking yourself of the habit one step at a time...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 5). Make Your Heart More Healthy By : Dan Sherman
Does it seem like there are more health risks these days than there were in the past? Well, the plain and simple truth is, there are. Now, more than ever, people around the globe grapple with various heath afflictions.
|
- 6). The Best Ways To Quit Cigarette Smoking By : Jonty Smith
The author packed in his 40-a-day habit within a few hours. He did it quickly, easily and painlessly. Why then do so many other smokers struggle to quit? In this article, the author explains the best ways to quit cigarette smoking, and why many of the established methods are counter-productive.
|
- 7). Can Chocolate Really Kill Your Dog By : Gregg Hall
We have all heard this all of our lives but how big a threat is it really? Is it life threatening or will it just make him sick? How much chocolate does the animal have to eat for it to cause a negative reaction?
|
- 8). The Attraction Of Magnetic Therapy By : John Morris
Magnetic therapy is an alternative treatment for common ailments. The most commonly treated ailments for that magnetic therapy is used for are arthritis, pain, inflammation, muscle tension, migraines, tumors, asthma, allergies, diabetes and many other joints or healing complaints...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
