--- title: Pandemic Causing Shortage of Contraceptives: U.N. description: The number of women unable to access contraception, experiencing unintended pregnancies and facing gender-based violence will skyrocket as the COVID-19 pandemic continues over the coming... canonical: https://time.com/5828383/covid-19-threatens-womens-sexual-reproductive-health/ author: Mélissa Godin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-04-28T14:29:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T08:40:29.457Z article:section: Health og:title: COVID-19 Threatens Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health og:description: Over 47 million women could lose access to contraception, resulting in 7 million unplanned pregnancies. og:url: https://time.com/5828383/covid-19-threatens-womens-sexual-reproductive-health/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2b15b2d14f44a37/698a0d65096a9414296a8134/GettyImages-1208072361.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: GettyImages-1208072361.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: COVID-19 Threatens Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health twitter:description: Over 47 million women could lose access to contraception, resulting in 7 million unplanned pregnancies. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2b15b2d14f44a37/698a0d65096a9414296a8134/GettyImages-1208072361.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pandemic Causing Shortage of Contraceptives and Will Impact Women's Reproductive Health, Says U.N. > Sponsored content. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=f129b5a0-1e3a-4584-9409-096157737a0d&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) by [Mélissa Godin](https://time.com/author/melissa-godin/) ## Mélissa Godin Apr 28, 2020 2:29 PM UTC  A pregnant woman wearing a face mask as a precautionary measure walks past a street mural in Hong Kong, on March 23, 2020. A pregnant woman wearing a face mask as a precautionary measure walks past a street mural in Hong Kong, on March 23, 2020. Getty Images—Anthony Wallace by [Mélissa Godin](https://time.com/author/melissa-godin/) ## Mélissa Godin Apr 28, 2020 2:29 PM UTC The number of women unable to access contraception, experiencing unintended pregnancies and facing gender-based violence will skyrocket as the COVID-19 pandemic continues over the coming months, according to a new [United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report](https://www.unfpa.org/resources/impact-covid-19-pandemic-family-planning-and-ending-gender-based-violence-female-genital). “This new data shows the catastrophic impact that COVID-19 could soon have on women and girls globally,” Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA Executive Director [said in a press release](https://www.unfpa.org/news/millions-more-cases-violence-child-marriage-female-genital-mutilation-unintended-pregnancies). “The pandemic is deepening inequalities, and millions more women and girls now risk losing the ability to plan their families and protect their bodies and their health.” New data released by UNFPA, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, predicts that over 47 million women could lose access to contraception, resulting in 7 million unplanned pregnancies if the lockdown continues for six months. _Keep up to date with our daily coronavirus newsletter by clicking_[ _here_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/coronavirus?source=article)_._ As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, health facilities are becoming overrun by patients with the virus, resulting in fewer resources or time available for women seeking out medical attention for their sexual or reproductive health. Disruptions in global supply chains are also causing a shortage of contraceptives, particularly in the lowest-income countries, according to the report. The report also predicts that 31 million additional gender-based violence cases can be expected over the coming months as victims of domestic violence are trapped at home with their abusers. Already, data from around the world suggests that [lockdown has significantly increased domestic violence](https://time.com/5803887/coronavirus-domestic-violence-victims/) rates. Women’s reproductive and sexual health in low to middle-income countries are more likely to be affected by the pandemic, the report notes. The disruption to prevention programs could result in an additional 2 million female genital cutting cases as well as 13 million additional child marriages in the coming decade that would otherwise have been averted. “Women’s reproductive health and rights must be safeguarded at all costs,” Dr. Kanem. “The services must continue; the supplies must be delivered; and the vulnerable must be protected and supported.” _If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline via text or call at 1-800-799-7233._ _Please send any tips, leads, and stories to_ [_virus@time.com_](mailto:virus@time.com)_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5828383/covid-19-threatens-womens-sexual-reproductive-health/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5828383/covid-19-threatens-womens-sexual-reproductive-health/"},"headline":"Pandemic Causing Shortage of Contraceptives and Will Impact Women's Reproductive Health, Says U.N.","datePublished":"2020-04-28T14:29:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T08:40:29.457Z","description":"The number of women unable to access contraception, experiencing unintended pregnancies and facing gender-based violence will skyrocket as the COVID-19 pandemic continues over the coming...","url":"https://time.com/5828383/covid-19-threatens-womens-sexual-reproductive-health/","keywords":["COVID-19","Londontime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2b15b2d14f44a37/698a0d65096a9414296a8134/GettyImages-1208072361.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mélissa Godin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-godin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2b15b2d14f44a37/698a0d65096a9414296a8134/GettyImages-1208072361.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-1208072361.jpg","caption":"pregnant woman wearing a face mask","creditText":"Getty Images—Anthony Wallace","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/covid-19/","name":"COVID-19"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5828383/covid-19-threatens-womens-sexual-reproductive-health/","name":"Pandemic Causing Shortage of Contraceptives and Will Impact Women's Reproductive Health, Says U.N."}}]}] ```