This year's TV3 Marathon, which will take place tomorrow Sunday, celebrates its 32nd edition, dedicated for the first time to sexual and reproductive health (SSIR) with the aim of giving visibility and preventing these types of diseases and conditions.
SSIR is defined as a state of physical, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality and reproduction, which goes beyond the absence of diseases and the ability to reproduce. Gal·la Montenegro, midwife at ASSIR Barcelona (Care for sexual and reproductive health), emphasizes that “illnesses are only a small part of what sexual and reproductive health is,” and explains some situations that are synonymous with enjoying good health in this area: “Having access to information, decision-making power and the ability to access health resources are some examples.” In Catalonia, SSIR affects approximately 3 million people and has an estimated incidence of 210,905 new cases each year.
Among diseases and other problems in the sexual and reproductive section, two characteristics stand out: the great impact they have on women at different stages of their lives and the little knowledge that exists, especially among young people. For this first reason, Dr. Yolanda Canet, head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Parc Taulí Hospital in Sabadell, values that “it is very relevant that talking about sexual and reproductive health be put on the table because historically the diseases that affect women have been less and worse studied.”
Dr. Canet explains that in SSIR, many of the problems that women suffer are inherent to age: “Menopause, menstruation or other complications in the reproductive age and pregnancy phase each appear at different stages.”
This is not the case with all pathologies. In the case of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), although this Marathon focuses mainly on prevention among young people, diseases such as chlamydia, genital herpes or HIV can manifest at any age, despite being less communes in older people. In this sense, Gal·la Montenegro considers “essential in the prevention of STIs” aspects such as sexual education, knowledge of contraceptive methods, the possibility of pregnancy terminations or access to detection of these infections and their treatment.
Among the pathologies related to the reproductive system, there are breast, cervical, vaginal or prostate cancers, which are better known to the general public. But we also find other diseases with less visibility, such as endometriosis, which occurs on the outside of the uterus and which, apart from severe pain, can also cause infertility. According to Dr. Canet, it stands out for its “complex approach” and the fact that “it takes years to diagnose.”
Finally, the SSIR also covers areas such as reproductive medicine, in which both sterility (impossibility of fertilization) and infertility (inability to carry out pregnancy) are investigated, and also contemplates all those diseases and problems that They can appear during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period and affect both mother and baby.
