Barriers to maternal and reproductive health care in India due to COVID-19

• Published in: Advances in global health 2022-07, Vol.1 (1)
• Main Authors: Diamond-Smith, Nadia, Gopalakrishnan, Lakshmi, Gutierrez, Sirena, Francis, Sarah, Saikia, Nandita, Patil, Sumeet
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; Family planning; Fertility; Gynecology; Health care; Health care access; Health services; Maternal & child health; Obstetrics; Pandemics; Prenatal care; Reproductive health; Social networks; Womens health
• ISSN: 2689-9558; 2689-9558
• DOI: 10.1525/agh.2022.1713935

COVID-19 and its associated lockdowns and restrictions on movement may be impacting women and men’s access to and use of health care services including contraceptive, prenatal, and postnatal care. Yet we know little of its impact to date, especially in low- and middle-income countries, including India. Understanding how COVID-19 impacts the use of these services now, and as it persists, is essential for improving access and use today. Additionally, these data are necessary to understand fertility and other health-related outcomes we may see in the future. The objectives of this study are to understand a Facebook sample of respondent’s perceived barriers to contraceptive, prenatal, and postnatal care in India and how these changed over 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. To meet this need, we conducted four rounds of monthly online surveys with men and women (N = 9,140) recruited using Facebook ads in India between April and July 2020, a period when the national lockdown was tapered from the strictest to restricted. While about 75% of respondents reported no barriers to contraception due to COVID-19, about half of those pregnant or postpartum reported barriers to pre- and postnatal care. Barriers to care for contraception, prenatal, and postnatal care increased significantly over time. Most respondents reported some change on fertility preferences, with more respondents reporting desire to delay, rather than to have a child sooner, due to COVID-19. Overall, as the early COVID-19 pandemic persisted, barriers to reproductive and maternal health care increased in India, suggesting that as the pandemic continued there have likely been additional challenges for people seeking these services. It is essential that health care providers begin to address these barriers to ensure access to care throughout these important time periods.