Chronic conditions commonly found in many countries worldwide include hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy, serious headaches, malaria and other tropical diseases. For example, parasitic worms, malaria or hypertension each affect more than 500 million people worldwide. 2 Other chronic problems, including mental or physical disabilities and risk of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, are also addressed. Important considerations Providing quality reproductive health services for clients with chronic conditions can be a complex process involving several important considerations. If a woman with a chronic medical condition becomes pregnant, the pregnancy itself may worsen her medical problems.
Treatments can harm mother or fetus during a pregnancy.
If a woman with a chronic condition uses contraception, however, some methods may exacerbate her medical condition or related complications. Finally, a medical condition or its treatment can affect the efficacy of a contraceptive method. As noted, a person with a chronic disease may not be as free as a healthy person to use a particular method. If a woman with a chronic condition prefers a hormonal method, providers should keep in mind that not all hormonal methods are the same. Some contain estrogen, which acts upon many different organ systems and has a wide range of effects that could be relevant to her condition.