According to new estimates from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and Avenir Health, this has led to around 1.4 million unintended pregnancies.  

These latest figures come as many countries, particularly high-income nations, show early signs of steeply declining birth rates.  

Together, the findings demonstrate how the pandemic has severely impacted women’s control over their own reproductive health, and undermined family planning. 

Contraceptives out of stock 

Analysing contraceptive service disruptions last year in 115 lower and middle income countries, data from UNFPA, Google Mobility and other surveys, found that access to family planning was hit by travel restrictions, interrupted supply chains and overwhelmed health facilities, among other factors.  

“The results, for many women, have been life-changing”, according to the UN sexual and reproductive health agency. 

UNFPA profiled a 32-year-old Nepalese woman who married at 17, became a mother of four by age 24, and became pregnant after the nearby health centre ran out of contraceptives. Her fifth baby was born on 25 February. 

Unintended pregnancies put a great strain on families that are already struggling under pandemic-related financial burdens, the UN agency explained. 

And its consequences are not simply economic, they are also linked to increased maternal morbidity, mortality and unsafe abortions.  

UNFPA’s projections showed that family planning services were largely disrupted in April and May of last year for an average of 3.6 months.  

Earlier estimates, produced in April 2020, illustrated that serious family planning disruptions lasting six months could affect 47 million women in low and middle income countries, and result in seven million unintended pregnancies. 

Acting swiftly  

Fortunately, quick action has helped many health systems to maintain or restore essential health services, including contraceptives, said UNFPA.  

The agency pointed out that even amid rising costs and supply chain constraints, it was able to procure and deliver contraceptives and other reproductive health supplies, as well as personal protective equipment for health workers. 

Creative efforts, such as using a ride-hailing app to deliver contraceptives, SMS outreach and targeting family planning counselling to quarantine centres, also helped maintain or restore services.  

UNFPA sad that many women continue to face serious obstacles to receiving family planning and other life-saving reproductive health services.  

A growing price 

Although the total costs of the pandemic are not yet known, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.5 million people around the world have died from COVID-19.  

When the full toll is calculated, UNFPA upheld that it will have to include the “extraordinary consequences” borne by women and girls, including those whose futures were rewritten, bodies injured or lives lost due to disruptions in access contraception and health care.

“So many lives have been lost”, said António Guterres, with “economies upended and societies left reeling.  The most vulnerable have suffered the most. Those left behind are being left even further behind.”

He commended the effort across the world to adapt, and live in news ways, honouring health workers “for their dedication and sacrifice and all other essential workers who have kept societies running. I salute all those who have stood up to the deniers and disinformation, and have followed science and safety protocols”, he said. “You have helped save lives.”

The key – vaccines for all

Mr. Guterres said the UN would continue mobilizing the international community to live up to the promise of the COVAX equitable vaccines initiative, and make them “affordable and available for all, to recover better, and to put a special focus on the needs of those who have borne the burden of this crisis on so many levels – women, minorities, older persons, persons with disabilities, refugees, migrants and indigenous peoples.”

 All in all, with the unprecedented vaccine development effort in multiple nations across the world, “there’s some light at the end of the tunnel” he said, lauding the start of last week’s historic rollout which has continued by COVAX, to bring shots to some of the lowest-income nations.

“Yet I am deeply concerned that many low-income countries have not yet received a single dose, while wealthier countries are on track to vaccinating their entire population”, added the UN chief, highlighting what he said were the many examples of “vaccine nationalism” and hoarding in the richer nations taking place, together with side deals involving manufacturers.

‘Greatest moral test’

“The global vaccination campaign represents the greatest moral test of our times”, he said.

“It is also essential to restart the global economy – and help the world move from locking down societies to locking down the virus”, added the Secretary-General. “COVID-19 vaccines must be seen as a global public good.  The world needs to unite to produce and distribute sufficient vaccines for all, which means at least doubling manufacturing capacity around the world.

“That effort must start now. Only together can we end this pandemic and recover.” 

Mr. Guterres said that solidarity was the key, and the creation of a genuine united front: “Only together can we revive our economies. And then, together, we can all get back to the things we love.”