Women in Sundarbans battle menstrual health problems

A woman pulls a prawn fishing net from the mud embankment on the Matla river, in the Sundarbans delta. File pic/AFP

Climate change has turned the waters saline, making agriculture unviable and forcing them to turn to fishing. For women in the marshlands of Sundarbans, this switch is not just about livelihoods but also about coping with the debilitating impact on their health.

Nihar Ranjan Raptan, director of the NGO Goranbose Gram Bikash Kendra who works in the Sundarbans, said irregular menstrual cycles, vaginal infections, recurring UTI and miscarriages are common among the women in the Sundarbans.

Ecologically fragile Sundarbans in West Bengal is said to be one of the worst affected regions in India due to climate change.

ASHA worker Revati Mondal, who has been working in the Sundarbans' Goran Bose village for over two decades, said the salinity of the water has been increasing steadily and the health of the women deteriorating.

"I visit about 25 homes every day and most of these homes have women who have one or the other menstrual problems," Mondal said. Soma', 31, from Hogalduri village has had urinary tract infection at least four times in the past one year. She goes fishing everyday and makes her living selling prawns and small fish she manages to catch. This means standing in waist-deep water every day for about four to six hours.

"In so many cases, these women shy away from telling their problems to doctors. They come to even me only when it turns severe and require much more intensive treatment. Some women have also reported miscarriages due to repeated infections," she said.

Like Soma', Faiza', 25, is also suffering with multiple health issues. The freshwater ponds near her home have turned salty due to frequent cyclones. "Even the cloth we use during periods is washed in this water. This leads to all kinds of infections."

Recurrent UTIs can have both direct and indirect impact on menstrual health, explained Dr Vinieta Diwakar, consultant, obstetrics and gynaecology, Manipal Hospital, Ghaziabad. It may lead to miscarriage or even preterm labour, she added.

('names changed to protect identities)

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