Gênero, saúde materna e o paradoxo perinatal

In the last 20 years there was an improvement in access to services and in almost all maternal health indicators in Brazil. Paradoxically, there is no evidence of improvement in maternal mortality. This paper aims to help to understand this paradox, by analyzing the typical models of care in childbirth in public (SUS) and private sectors; the proposals for change based on evidence and on women's rights; and the conflicts of interest and resistance to change. We review the gender biases in research and in programming, especially the overestimation of the benefits of technology, and the underestimation, or the denial, of adverse effects and discomforts of interventions. Beliefs based in sexual culture are often accepted as 'scientific' explanations of the body, sexuality and the birth physiology, and are reflected in the imposition of unnecessary risk and suffering, in practices that are harmful for genital integrity, and in the denial of the right to companions in delivery. This 'pessimization of birth' is instrumental to promote, comparatively, the model of routine section. Finally we describe how the use of gender as analytical category can contribute to promote rights and cultural changes, as in the case of companions in childbirth.Nos últimos 20 anos, houve uma melhoria de praticamente todos os indicadores da saúde materna no Brasil, assim como grande ampliação do acesso aos serviços de saúde. Paradoxalmente, não há qualquer evidência de melhoria na mortalidade materna. Este texto tem como objetivo trazer elementos para a compreensão deste paradoxo, através do exame dos modelos típicos de assistência ao parto, no SUS e no setor privado. Analisaremos as propostas de mudança para uma assistência mais baseada em evidências sobre a segurança destes modelos, sua relação com os direitos das mulheres, e com os conflitos de interesse e resistências à mudança dos modelos. Examinamos os pressupostos de gênero que modulam a assistência e os vieses de gênero na pesquisa neste campo, expressos na superestimação dos benefícios da tecnologia, e na subestimação ou na negação dos desconfortos e efeitos adversos das intervenções. Crenças da cultura sexual não raro são tidas como explicações 'científicas' sobre o corpo, a parturição e a sexualidade, e se refletem na imposição de sofrimentos e riscos desnecessários, nas intervenções danosas à integridade genital, e na negação do direito a acompanhantes. Esta 'pessimização do parto' é instrumental para favorecer, por comparação, o modelo da cesárea de rotina. Por fim, discutimos como o uso da categoria gênero pode contribuir para promover direitos e mudanças institucionais, como no caso dos acompanhantes no parto

Meio Grogue e com as Mãos Amarradas: O Primeiro Contato com o Recém-Nascido Segundo Mulheres que Passaram por uma Cesárea Indesejada

AbstractObjective: to describe and analyze the experience and feelings of mothers who had an unwanted Csection, with regard to the first contact with their newborn. Methods: this is a qualitative webbased research, whose call for participants was published in October 2011 on a social network of mothers website. The women were interviewed in regard to their experience with C-section, referred to as an unwanted outcome, invited to make narratives about the feelings associated with the experience of labor and childbirth and to the postpartum period. The analysis was conducted within a gender perspective. Results: the 20 women interviewed age ranged from 17 to 41 years, 19 women had studied for 12 or more years and were married or lived with a partner. Only two women remained with their newborns right after birth. The other ones were kept apart from their babies for periods that ranged between one hour (three women) and more than four hours (six women). Most women could not have a partner/companion during the immediate postpartum period, although in Brazil this is a right guaranteed by law. The majority had also suffered some kind of violence and many also regretted being under the influence of medication for sedation during their first contact with the newborn. Regarding this first contact, three groups were identified: women with feelings of fulfillment, those with ambiguous feelings, and those without any positive feelings about the first contact with their newborn. Conclusion: women referring to their C-section as an unwanted outcome had their frustration towards the birth experience amplified by the conditions of the first contactwith their newborn. These conditions were negatively influenced by the immediate postpartum assistance routines.ResumoObjetivo: descrever e analisar a experiência e os sentimentos de mulheres que relatam ter vivido uma cesárea indesejada no primeiro contato com seus filhos recém-nascidos. Método: pesquisa baseada na internet, com convite para participação publicado em outubro de 2011 via redes sociais. As mulheres que responderam foram entrevistadas a respeito de sua experiência de cesárea, de sentimentos associados à experiência de parto e nascimento e ao período pós-parto. A pesquisa foi orientada pela perspectiva das relações sociais de gênero. Resultados: vinte mulheres foram entrevistadas. A idade delas variou entre 17 e 41 anos. Metade delas residia em São Paulo. Todas, exceto uma, tinham 12 anos ou mais de estudo e eram casadas ou moravam com o companheiro. Apenas duas permaneceram com o filho logo após o nascimento. Para as demais, o tempo de separação variou de menos de uma hora (três mulheres) a mais de quatro horas (seis mulheres). A maioria não pôde contar com um acompanhante de sua escolha no pós-parto imediato, embora no Brasil esse direito seja garantido por lei. A maioria relata ter sofrido algum tipo de violência. Muitas lamentaram estar sob efeito de medicação para sedação no primeiro contato com o recém-nascido. Três grupos foram identificados: mulheres com sentimentos de plenitude, mulheres com sentimentos ambíguos e mulheres sem emoções positivas acerca de seu filho. Conclusões: mulheres que referem suas cesáreas como indesejadas tiveram suas frustrações com as experiências do parto amplificadas pelas condições do primeiro contato com seu recém-nascido, condições estas prejudicadas pelas rotinas de assistência nos pós-parto imediato

Fatores associados ao início da vida sexual e o uso de preservativo entre adolescentes da Ilha de Santiago, Cabo Verde, África Ocidental

Foram analisados fatores associados ao início da vida sexual de adolescentes na Ilha de Santiago, Cabo Verde, segundo sexo. Estudo realizado com amostra probabilística e representativa de 768 adolescentes, age 13-17 anos, de escolas secundárias públicas da Ilha de Santiago em 2007. A associação foi testada pelo teste de proporção, qui-quadrado de Pearson ou Fisher e regressão logística. Nos rapazes, os fatores associados ao início da vida sexual foram: idade maior que 14 anos, ser católico e consumo de bebidas alcoólicas. Para meninas: escolaridade maior que nove anos e ter parceiro afetivo-sexual. Ao contrário de outros contextos da África Subsaariana, foram constatadas taxas elevadas de uso de preservativo por adolescentes no início da vida sexual. Os adolescentes podem iniciar a vida sexual de maneira mais segura se tiverem informação, educação sexual e acesso a métodos de prevenção à gravidez e às DST. Este artigo oferece elementos para a reflexão sobre o delineamento de políticas de redução da vulnerabilidade dos jovens às DST/AIDS e sobre os limites e desafios da promoção do uso do preservativo e educação sexual, focando as relações desiguais de gêneroThe current study focuses on factors associated with sexual initiation and condom use among teenagers on Santiago Island, Cape Verde, according to gender. This was a representative, probabilistic sample of 13-to-17-year-olds (n = 768) attending public secondary schools on Santiago Island in 2007. Associations were tested by test of proportion, Pearson's chi-square, or Fisher's exact test and logistic regression. Factors related to sexual initiation among boys were: age over 14 years, Catholic religion, and alcohol consumption. For girls, the factors included: > 9 years of schooling and involvement in an affective-sexual relationship. Unlike other Sub-Saharan countries, this study showed a high prevalence of condom use during initial sexual activity. Adolescents are able to safely begin sexually active life if they have access to information, sex education, and other STD prevention and contraceptive methods. This study provides insights on the development of policies to reduce the vulnerability of the young population to STD/AIDS and the limits and challenges related to the promotion of condom use and sex education, focusing on unequal gender relation

Birth at the health center or at home: an analysis of birthing care among the Kukamas Kukamirias women of Peru

Objective: to describe and analyze the culture and traditions related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care of the Kukama kukamiria women, living in the Peruvian Amazon, and their experiences and perceptions of care at home compared to that received at the health center. Methods: a qualitative study based on ethnography that seeks to analyze traditional knowledge and practices of self-care, taking into account descriptions of home births attended by traditional midwives, compared to that of birth care at the health institution. Results: home delivery prioritizes women’s’ comfort, through the use of teas, baths and specific rituals in caring for the placenta; dietary regulations and attention to environmental aspects such as temperature and lighting are built into care. At the health facilities, routine interventions include acceleration of labor with the use of drugs, vaginal cutting (episiotomy), immobilization in lithotomy position, and the disposal of the placenta as garbage; which is perceived as inadequate and aggressive. Conclusion: a preference for traditional care is justified based on feelings of neglect and vulnerability at institutionalized health centers, resulting from the lack of consideration by the health services for the cultural and well-being specificities of the Kukama Kukamiria women

Why do women in the private sector have shorter pregnancies in Brazil? Left shift of gestational age, caesarean section and inversion of the expected disparity

Introduction: Gestational age (GA) at birth is the main predictor of newborn health, and pontaneous birth occurs around 40 weeks. In Brazil there is a populational reduction of the GA (left shift), presently around 39 weeks, due to interventions in childbirth. Objective: To analyze the left shift of gestational age (LDGA) in São Paulo City (SP) and in Southeastern Brazil, and associated factors. Methods: Epidemiological descriptive study of LDGA in SP (data from Live birth information sector, SINASC) and in Southeastern Brazil (data from “Birth in Brazil Survey”). Differences in GA were estimated, by type of birth (vaginal or cesarean) and payment source (public or private), using GA distribution curves in weeks. Results: In SP, the peak of the curve for GA for vaginal births was 39 weeks, while for cesarean was 38 weeks. Most vaginal births were full term (39-406/7) while most cesarean were early term (37-386/7). In the private sector, there were more caesarean sections and lower GA at birth, with more preterm newborns and 60.4% being born early term, while in the public sector, 58.7% of births were full term, and a much higher proportion reaching 40 weeks. Conclusions: Babies born by cesarean and in the private sector lost one additional gestational week. There was an inversion in the expected disparity, with well-off women achieving poorer outcomes compared to the disadvantaged mothers. The use of continuous variables to estimate the IG (in days or weeks of pregnancy lost) can contribute to a better understanding of the Brazilian perinatal paradox

The Enlighten Campinas Program : the construction of an intersectoral and interinstitutional policy to confront violence as a social problem

A inclusão da temática violência na agenda da promoção da saúde demanda a reorientação nas linhas de cuidado do sistema de serviços e a consolidação de ações voltadas para indivíduos e coletividades, em uma perspectiva de trabalho intersetorial, multidisciplinar, integrado e em redes que contemple a reorganização das práticas para acolher esta questão como um determinante de saúde. O objetivo deste artigo é compartilhar a experiência da implementação do Programa Iluminar Campinas – uma política local de promoção da saúde de um município de grande porte –que articulou o setor saúde em uma ampla rede intersetorial e interinstitucional para ofertar cuidados às pessoas que sofreram violência. As perspectivas teóricas do estudo foram o Construcionismo Social e a Teoria Ator Rede (TAR) e a metodologia envolveu a análise de documentos, entrevistas e observações de eventos do Programa Iluminar.Including the issue of violence in the health promotion agenda requires restructuring health services to incorporate violence into the front lines of care and consolidate individual and collective measures from an intersectoral, multidisciplinary and integrated standpoint, within networks that reorganize practices and embrace this issue as a key determinant of health. The aim of this article is to share the experience of implementing the Enlighten Campinas Program – a local endeavor to promote health in a large city – which amalgamated the health sector into a wide intersectoral and interinstitutional network to provide care to victims of violence. The theoretical approaches used were Social Constructionism and the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and the methodology involved analyzing documents, a field diary, interviews and observations of Enlighten Program events

ABUSE AND DISRESPECT IN CHILDBIRTH CARE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE IN BRAZIL: ORIGINS, DEFINITIONS, IMPACTS ON MATERNAL HEALTH, AND PROPOSALS FOR ITS PREVENTION

Disrespect and abuse (in Brazil called obstetric violence), described by different terms, is increasingly used in social activism, in academic research and public policy formulation, and was recently recognized as a public health issue by the World Health Organization. As an innovative theme, it requires a mapping its origins, definitions, typology, impacts on maternal health and proposals for its preventing and remedy. We presente a critical-narrative review about this issue, including academic literature, productions of social movements and institutional documents, in Brazil and internationally. After a short historical overview, we map the definitions and types of violence. The complex causation of these forms of violence is discussed, including the role of professional training, the organization of health services, and the implications for maternal morbidity and mortality. Finally we present interventions in public health that have been used or proposed to prevent and mitigate obstetric violence, and an agenda for innovation and research in this area

Reproductive intentions of women who experienced high fertility in a major urban center

Neste estudo quantitativo e de base populacional objetivou-se identificar as intenções reprodutivas de mulheres com cinco ou mais filhos, residentes em Curitiba, Paraná. Foram entrevistadas 441 mulheres em seus domicílios entre os anos de 2006 a 2008. Calcularam-se frequências, e o teste t de Student e o coeficiente de Spearman para algumas variáveis. Para análise das perguntas abertas utilizou-se a análise de conteúdo e se elaboraram tabelas com as categorias e as respectivas frequências. O estudo revelou que para 51% das mulheres o número ideal de filhos seria dois; 10% tiveram o número de filhos que desejavam. Em 113 casos (40,4%) o marido preferia ter um número maior de filhos do que as mulheres. Identificaram-se dificuldades na definição e na conquista da fecundidade desejada, falhas na assistência à saúde reprodutiva e desigualdades sociais e de gênero. O monitoramento pelos gestores de saúde dos diferenciais de fecundidade é necessário para o alcance da justiça social e a garantia dos direitos humanos, sexuais e reprodutivos, no Brasil.This quantitative and population-based study aimed to identify reproductive intentions of women with five or more children living in Curitiba, Paraná. 441 women were interviewed in their homes between the years 2006 to 2008. Frequencies were calculated, as well as Student's t test and Spearman coefficient for some variables. To analyse the open questions it was used content analysis and worked out tables with categories , their frequencies and percentages. The study revealed that for 51% of women the ideal number of children would have been two children; 10% had the number of children they wanted. In 113 cases (40.4%) the husbands would rather have a larger number of children than women. Difficulties were identified in the definition and achievement of desired fertility, besides failures in reproductive health care and social and gender inequalities. Health managers should monitor the differentials in fertility rates in order to pursue social justice and ensure human rights, as well as sexual and reproductive rights in Brazil

Resultados maternos e neonatais em centro de parto normal peri-hospitalar e hospital

OBJECTIVE: To compare maternal and neonatal outcomes in low-risk women assisited in an alongside birth center and at a hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of low-risk women in São Paulo (Southeastern Brazil), from 2003 to 2006. The study included 991 women who delivered a child at the alongside birth center and 325 who delivered a child at a hospital. Data were obtained from medical records. A comparative analysis was performed for all of the women, who were stratified according to parity. The chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare outcomes between women who delivered in alongside birth center and those who gave birth in the hospital. RESULTS: There was a homogeneous distribution of women according to parity (45.4% were nulliparous, and 54.6% had one or more previous deliveries). Statistically significant differences were found in the frequency of amniotomy (more frequent in nulliparous women treated at the hospital), the use of oxytocin during labor, and the use of postpartum analgesia (both more frequent among women of any parity treated at the hospital). The rate of episiotomy was higher in nulliparous women, both in the alongside birth center and at the hospital. Neonatal interventions were more frequent at the hospital and included aspiration of the upper airways, gastric aspiration, gastric lavage, and the use of an open oxygen mask. Other events that occurred with greater frequency at the hospital included caput succedaneum, respiratory discomfort, and admittance to the neonatal unit. There was no difference in Apgar scores at the fifth minute or cases of maternal or perinatal death. CONCLUSIONS: Care at the alongside birth center involved fewer interventions and had maternal and neonatal outcomes similar to those of the hospital setting.OBJETIVO: Comparar los resultados maternos y neonatales en mujeres de bajo riesgo atendidas en centro de parto normal peri hospitalario y hospital. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal con muestra representativa de mujeres de bajo riesgo atendidas en Sao Paulo, Sureste de Brasil, de 2003 a 2006. Se incluyeron 991 mujeres que realizaron el parto en el centro de parto normal y 325 que dieron a luz en el hospital. Los datos fueron obtenidos de los prontuarios. El análisis comparativo fue realizado para el total de mujeres y estratificado según la paridad. Se aplicaron las pruebas de chi-cuadrado y exacto de Fisher. RESULTADOS: Hubo distribución homogénea de las mujeres según la paridad (45,4% de nulíparas y 54,6% de mujeres con uno o más partos anteriores). Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas con relación a las siguientes intervenciones: amniotomía (más frecuente entre nulíparas del hospital), utilización de ocitocina en el trabajo de parto y utilización de analgésico en el postparto (más frecuentes en el hospital entre las mujeres de todas las paridades). La tasa de episiotomía fue mayor entre las nulíparas, tanto en el centro de parto como en el hospital. Hubo mayor frecuencia de intervenciones con el neonato en el hospital: aspiración de las vías aéreas superiores, aspiración gástrica, lavado gástrico, oxígeno por máscara abierta. También ocurrieron con más frecuencia en el hospital bolsa serosanguínea, dificultad respiratoria e internación en la unidad neonatal. No hubo diferencia en los valores de Apgar en el quinto minuto ni en casos de muerte materna o perinatal. CONCLUSIONES: La asistencia en el centro de parto normal fue realizada con menos intervenciones y con resultados maternos y neonatales semejantes a los del hospital.OBJETIVO: Comparar os resultados maternos e neonatais em mulheres de baixo risco atendidas em centro de parto normal peri-hospitalar e hospital. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com amostra representativa de mulheres de baixo risco atendidas em São Paulo, SP, de 2003 a 2006. Foram incluídas 991 mulheres que tiveram o parto no centro de parto normal e 325 que deram à luz no hospital. Os dados foram obtidos dos prontuários. A análise comparativa foi realizada para o total de mulheres e estratificada segundo a paridade. Foram aplicados os testes qui-quadrado e exato de Fisher. RESULTADOS: Houve distribuição homogênea das mulheres segundo a paridade (45,4% nulíparas e 54,6% mulheres com um ou mais partos anteriores). Foram encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significantes em relação às seguintes intervenções: amniotomia (mais freqüente entre nulíparas do hospital); utilização de ocitocina no trabalho de parto e utilização de analgésico no pós-parto (mais freqüentes no hospital entre as mulheres de todas as paridades). A taxa de episiotomia foi maior entre as nulíparas, tanto no centro de parto como no hospital. Houve maior freqüência de intervenções com o neonato no hospital: aspiração das vias aéreas superiores, aspiração gástrica, lavagem gástrica, oxigênio por máscara aberta. Também ocorreram com mais freqüência no hospital bossa serossanguínea, desconforto respiratório e internação na unidade neonatal. Não houve diferença nos valores de Apgar no quinto minuto nem casos de morte materna ou perinatal. CONCLUSÕES: A assistência no centro de parto normal foi realizada com menos intervenções e com resultados maternos e neonatais semelhantes aos do hospital