Women's Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services during Confinement Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain.

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has created a challenge for women's sexual and reproductive health care. The objective of this research was to analyse access to sexual and reproductive health services during confinement in Spain. (2) Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with a random sample that was stratified by age in July and August 2020. (3) Results: A total of 1800 women were invited to participate, obtaining a response rate of 98.72%. The frequency of sexual relationships reduced during confinement. Counselling was offered both in person (30.7%) and telematically (39%), although there were also women who experienced access problems (30%). Of those women who required some LARC, only half had access to it, mainly due to the contact difficulties as a result of the limited number of consultations with their prescribing physicians. The use of emergency oral contraception and the use of services for the voluntary interruption of pregnancy were considerably reduced. The women who stated having been victims of gender-based violence were those that lived with their aggressors during confinement and had children. (4) Conclusions: It is necessary to ensure sexual and reproductive rights in confinement times and, for such a purpose, telemedicine can be a good tool that helps to avoid unmet contraceptive needs and unplanned pregnancies.

Breastfeeding experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain:a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has affected reproductive and perinatal health both through the infection itself and, indirectly, as a consequence of changes in medical care, social policy or social and economic circumstances. The objective of this study is to explore the impact of the pandemic and of the measures adopted on breastfeeding initiation and maintenance. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted by means in-depth semi-structured interviews, until reaching data saturation. The study was conducted between the months of January to May 2021. Participants were recruited by midwives from the Primary Care Centres of the Andalusian provinces provinces of Seville, Cádiz, Huelva, Granada, and Jaén. The interviews were conducted via phone call and were subsequently transcribed and analysed by means of reflexive inductive thematic analysis, using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 30 interviews were conducted. Five main themes and ten subthemes were developed, namely: Information received (access to the information, figure who provided the information), unequal support from the professionals during the pandemic (support to postpartum hospitalization, support received from Primary Health Care during the postpartum period), social and family support about breastfeeding (support groups, family support), impact of confinement and of social restriction measures (positive influence on breastfeeding, influence on bonding with the newborn), emotional effect of the pandemic (insecurity and fear related to contagion by coronavirus, feelings of loneliness). CONCLUSION: The use of online breastfeeding support groups through applications such as WhatsApp®, Facebook® or Instagram® has provided important breastfeeding information and support sources. The main figure identified that has provided formal breastfeeding support during this period was that of the midwife. In addition, the social restrictions inherent to the pandemic have exerted a positive effect for women in bonding and breastfeeding, as a consequence of the increase in the time spent at their homes and in the family nucleus co-living.