• While the broader sphere of sexual and reproductive health affects all genders and sexualities, women carry a disproportionate burden of reproductive health issues.
• Dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine fibroids, cervical, ovarian and other gynaecological cancers are health concerns unique to women. All of these conditions are often under-diagnosed or diagnosed late, leading to long periods of untreated pain and lost opportunities to prevent the worsening of symptoms or progression of disease.
• On average, women are fertile for over 40 years, which represents around 480 occasions where pregnancy is possible.
• For teenagers and young women, comprehensive sexual, reproductive and respectful relationships education, access to affordable sanitary products and youth and women-friendly health care providers are needed.
• For sexually active women, access to safe, affordable, effective contraception, suitable to their individual needs, is essential. Currently, it is estimated that around half of all pregnancies are unplanned. o Anecdotally, women report significant barriers to accessing emergency contraception, specifically judgmental attitudes by pharmacists.
• While accurate data on induced abortion is notoriously difficult to obtain, it is estimated that around a third to a quarter of women will have an abortion at some point in their reproductive lives. Services need to be modern, supportive and non-judgmental, within an appropriate legal framework and adequate service planning.
- It is well documented that pregnancy termination services are extremely limited and prohibitively expensive in most parts of Australia. Laws governing pregnancy termination are also different in every state and territory.
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