translated from Spanish: Midwives call on Minsal not to forget about pregnant women in the pandemic

The College of Matrons and Matrones made an urgent appeal to the Ministry of Health for validation of protocols for the care of patients with Covid-19, in particular with pregnant women, because, in practice, gestation is not being considered in this pandemic today. The guild also called for the proper incorporation of each case of pregnant woman, in all her gestational states, and not just childbirth and postpartum, essentially considering her vulnerability status. This was indicated by the national president of the order, Anita Román, who said that historically sexual health and reproductive health has become unseen in periods of catastrophe.” Women continue to get pregnant, continue to need their hormone therapies or with the onset and continuity of contraceptive methods, we will also have as in any catastrophe increase in preterm births or the need for pills of the day after. None of that stops, but on the contrary, they can be left in defenselessness during curfews and quarantines,” he said. Therefore, as explained by the management, the main concern in the midst of this state of emergency is to respect the rights of gestation, incorporating all protective measures for the pregnant woman in labor, for her companion and for the health team.” Mr. Minister, don’t forget the pregnant women in this pandemic. It’s been over a month since the first spread and we still don’t have guidelines for this tackling the pandemic for patients in this gravidity condition,” he stressed. Pregnant women are not considered in any of the official protocols, we do not have official figures of possible contagions nor do we see a concern to ensure that this care will be with the teams prepared for it, since there are no midwives and matrons in the recruitment of emergency personnel. Nor have matrony professionals been considered other benefits planned for this emergency, such as home visit to the postperaum,” stressed Román.La midwives and matron president explained that “while there is insufficient evidence to account for pregnant women to be in a higher risk of contagion, evidence says that when women are pregnant and become infected with any disease , immediately become a group of health concern, so every pregnant woman must take extreme care to avoid all kinds of contagion and this includes coronavirus.” Infected pregnant women need different care. A first trimester contagion is not the same as in the second trimester or in a term pregnancy. The pregnantness in her last trimester of pregnancy has increased cardiac and pulmonary work, so it is urgent to alleviate her condition, since by definition this will be a high-risk birth. How do you act in this case? We have not yet received the official descent in this regard,” Román warned, adding that “what exists today are unofficial protocols for the time of gestation, childbirth, postpartum and newborn, which, although it is an initial guideline, is now insufficient. Not having the signature of the Ministry makes each service, hospital or primary care facility set sexual health and reproductive health benefits according to its own criteria.” This is evidenced by the delivery of personal protection elements with instructions restricting the delivery and use thereof, resulting in the pregnant woman not being allowed to enter the passenger during labor, an unnecessary situation according to the evidence and the experience of the countries most hit by this pandemic,” concluded the president of the College.

Original source in Spanish