LIFE CYCLE APPROACH

1. LIFE CYCLE APPROACH

2. A life cycle approach to women’s health: • Anticipates and meets women’s health needs from infancy through old age • Emphasizes health-seeking behavior and appropriate services to meet women’s health needs throughout their lives • Recognizes the right of all women to make informed decisions about their health

3. Health and nutritional problems affecting women during the life cycle Women and girls have special health needs throughout their lives. Health systems should recognize and address women’s health problems throughout the life cycle.

4. A life cycle perspective Actions, both positive and negative, taken at one stage in a woman’s life can and will affect her throughout her life. • For example: • Exclusive breastfeedingduring the first 4-6 months provides infants with the antibodies and nourishment needed to begin a healthy life. • A woman who develops a reproductive tract infection and does not receive appropriate treatment can become infertile. • Girls fed inadequately during childhood may have stunted growth, leading to higher risk ofobstructed labor.

5. What does the life cycle approach meanfor health systems? • Reproductive health services must address the specific and often-neglected health needs of young girls, adolescents, and women in their post-reproductive years. • Some specific actions include: • Forgirls/adolescents: • Promote adequate nutrition • Ensure equal access toinformation and educationabout sexuality andreproduction • Protect girls/adolescents fromharmful traditional practices • Forpost-reproductive age women: • Encourage women to continueseeking health care throughouttheir menopausal andpost-menopausal years • Provide screening and accessible treatment for breast and gynecological cancersand uterine prolapse

6. Socio-economic status has significant impacton women’s health throughout their lives • Women are more likely than men to be: • Poor • Less educated • Of lower social status • Many women have special health needs, limited access to health services, and little sense of entitlement to health care. • Actions to improve women’s education, economic status, and legal rights are essential to improving the quality of women’s health and lives. Burdened with heavy workfrom an early age Victims of domestic andsexual violence life cycle approach ( 6 )

7. How can education impactwomen’s health? Providing women with 7 or more years of education can significantly improve their health and that of their families. Women who have had more than 7 years of schooling aremore likely to: Use contraception to control their fertility Have fewer and healthier children Seek health care for themselves and theirchildren Use medication properly

8. Positive roles for men to playthroughout women’s life cycle • Men, as family and community members, have vital roles to play in promoting women’s rights and health by: • Learning to communicate effectivelyand openly with women, especially sexual partners • Ensuring that their daughters have access to education • Providing economic and emotional support for partners during and after pregnancy • Taking an active role in preventing unwanted pregnancies and preventing transmission of STIs/HIV/AIDS • Educating young men about responsible sexuality • Promoting gender equalityin the household and community • Preventing and condemning violence against women

9. Adolescent childbearing and women’s education Percent of women ages 20-24 who gave birth by age 18,by education level 44 45 40 35 32 Less than 7 yearsof schooling 28 30 26 25 21 18 20 7 or more yearsof schooling 15 10 6 5 3 5 2 0 Kenya Peru Egypt Indonesia Philippines

10. Insert text here life cycle approach ( 10 )