Sexual Reproduction Health (SRH) is a very personal subject; Good sexual and reproductive health means having a safe and fulfilling sex life, with the freedom to decide whether or not you want to reproduce and at what time in your life.
In South Africa we are a country that has services that are inadequate and unfriendly in most of our health facilities, people may have trouble finding or asking for accurate information about SRH. Access to clear advice and information on sexual health is crucial, as is being able to choose from a range of contraceptive options without facing any stigma or discrimination. It is also important to have access to maternal health services during pregnancy and childbirth, to ensure a safe pregnancy for both mother and child.
Men and women should have access to the safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of fertility regulation of their choice, and to appropriate health care services that will enable women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth, and provide couples with the best chance of having healthy infants.
Complications of pregnancy and childbirth, unsafe abortions, reproductive tract infections, sexual violence and women dying from avoidable cancer are just a few of the problems in this area hence it is imperative that people have access to SRH.A lack of SRH services can also lead to the spread of sexual transmitted diseases, such as HIV. This directly impacts on the health, well-being and livelihoods of families, and can be particularly dangerous if those with the disease have not been able to access health services to diagnose or treat Illness.
Pregnancy tests seem simple enough. You pee on a stick, wait a few minutes and get your answer, right? Perhaps unsurprisingly, there’s actually much more to it than that. And before running to the pharmacy and grabbing the first box you see, it’s important to know the specifics about pregnancy tests.
Did you know that the timing of your cycle, time of day you test, and type of test you choose all matter? Or, those pregnancy tests can actually expire? There can also be false negatives and, in some cases, false positives. With the wide range of emotions that can surround pregnancy testing circumstances, it’s important to be well informed.
Here’s everything you need to know about pregnancy tests:
Check the expiration date prior to purchasing
Read the instructions carefully, and make sure to follow them, step by step
If your testing before a missed period, consider using your morning urine
Use a clock or a timer when taking your test.
What to do after testing positive, meaning you are pregnant is that you should visit your doctor or your clinic for booking and monthly check-ups.
There are two different kinds and safe abortions:
1.Medication abortion, also known as the abortion pill, is when take medicines that you get from a trained doctor or nurse to end an early pregnancy. A health professional uses instruments and gentle suction to remove the pregnancy from your uterus. This method works 99% of the time and it takes 10 minutes to be done.
2.In-clinic abortion is done in a health centre by a trained doctor or nurse, you take pills that end your pregnancy and make your uterus expel the pregnancy tissues like an early miscarriage. This method depends on the weeks of your pregnancy, but they work 96%of the time and it takes up to 2days to work. Marie Stopes South Africa offers safe abortions for unwanted pregnancies up to 20 weeks. Their nurses and doctors are accredited professionals, sexual and reproductive healthcare. Their work is strictly governed by the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act (amended 2008),
For a safe Choice of Termination procedure kindly contact:
South Africa support office
Marie Stopes South Africa, 91 Bree Street
Cape Town 8001 South Africa
+27 021 422 4096
– Terminating your pregnancy (abortion) is your legal right –
Written by Berlina Lerutoane, Advocacy & Lobbying Coordinator