An overview of reproductive health of women in Bajhang district.

ABSTRACT

Reproductive health is not merely an absence of disease or disorder, rather it is a condition in which reproductive process is accomplished in a state of complete physical, mental and social well being according to WHO. Reproductive morbidity encompasses obstetric morbidity including conditions during pregnancy, delivery and the post-partum period; and gynecological morbidity including conditions of the reproductive tract such as reproductive-tract infections, cervical cell changes, genital prolapse, malignancies and infertility. The first step towards achieving the needs of women as consumers and providers is to do baseline research so that the nature and magnitude of the problem is assessed. Bajhang is one of the poorest, most deprived and remotest districts in the Far Western development region of Nepal. The status of all women is very low and their situation is very difficult. This study was conducted during a gynecological camp for a period of six days from 10th-15th March, 2003, in the district hospital of Bajhang at Chainpur. All women who attended the gynecological camp were included in the study. The 6 days period, total 530 women had attended the camp. Among them 273 (51.5%) had gynecological problems. Uterovaginal prolapse was the leading morbidity found in 97 women (18.3%) followed by subfertility (14.2%) and reproductive tract infections(13.9%). Only 22.0% women were using family planning methods. This study shows that a large number of women are seeking help for gynecological problems, hence emphasizing the importance of research in this area. Such studies have a pronounced impact in settings where no information on gynaecological morbidities exists and where there is an absence of consensus on the extent of such morbidity. This study not only gives us a baseline data about the most prevalent gynaecological problems in the remote area, it may help us in planning future reproductive health programs also.