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Women’s Reproductive Health in Mexico

Morgan Mason

University of Lynchburg

HP221WA: Global Health

Dr. Rebekkah McLellan

May 4, 2022
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Women’s Reproductive Health in Mexico

A large issue with women’s healthcare in Mexico is the lack of access to relevant

educational material teaching young women about their bodies and rights to their own

reproductive systems (Villalobos et al., 2017). A mother or other female family member would

presumably be a young girl’s primary resource for puberty or learning about reproduction, that is

not the case in indigenous Mexican women (Camarena Ojinaga et al., 2017). That notion is a

cultural nuance from the United States and is incomparable. Regardless, young women need to

know about their rights to their own bodies. There are unmet needs that revolve around the

education of women in Mexico about their reproductive or sexual rights (Rocha et al., 2018).

Such as reported unmet needs regarding contraceptive education and use (Villalobos et al.,

2017). The lack of health education in these young women’s lives can lead to unintentional teen

pregnancies, excessive weight, or sexually transmitted diseases (Adriana Sosa-Sánchez et al.,

2019). Unfortunately, many young women learn about contraceptives during post-partum care or

after abortions (Darney et al., 2020). Young women should be aware of their autonomy and

reproductive rights, and increasing educational resources in Mexico could improve the disparities

that women face. A resource for young women to receive education about sexual and

reproductive health should be any healthcare provider that they see regularly, however many

lower- and middle-class citizens do not have access to that sort of care in Mexico (Villalobos,

2017).

Mexico’s Healthcare System

The healthcare system that is in place in Mexico aims to be one that is universal, however

public, and private options are available (InterNations, 2022). Mexican public healthcare is said

by InterNations (2022) to be affordable, even in retirement, as well as in comparison to the

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United States. There are many advantages and disadvantages to the Mexican healthcare plans

and systems that result in inequality for those across the country. Healthcare deductibles and

premiums also vary with public, public with private supplemented, or solely private institutions

(InterNations, 2022). 

Public healthcare in Mexico is provided by numerous social security institutes, leading to

the discontinuation of care in unfortunate, unplanned situations, such as job loss (InterNations,

2022). In addition to the uncertainty of public healthcare, the quality of the care received is

unbalanced in rural and urban areas related to the population’s socioeconomic status

(InterNations, 2022). Because of the uncertainty of public healthcare, waiting lists are long and

often have lower standard practices. Private institutions for healthcare are generally outpatient,

but with private healthcare, one will have the most access to the top facilities (InterNations,

2022). Many private institutions are located in more urban areas, with those that can afford

private healthcare as supplemental insurance to public healthcare (InterNations, 2022). With

private healthcare practices, access to better, more advanced practices is more often seen. 

There is a Health for Welfare Institute, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social, or IMSS,

established in 2020, made up of funds from the federal government and payroll taxes

(InterNations, 2022). The IMSS provides healthcare services for Mexican citizens and legal

immigrants (InterNations, 2022). Any person who pays the IMSS taxes is can enroll or is

formally enrolled in the IMSS based on employment (InterNations, 2022). The ISSSTE, the

Mexican Civil Service Security and Services Institute, is another governmental institution that

also administers healthcare and social security systems that assist those with disabilities, those

that are elderly, and those who hold higher- risk jobs (InterNations, 2022). This institution
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provides healthcare for 55-60% of the population in Mexico, as well as another program for

those who do not qualify for other programs (InterNations, 2022). 

Health Insurance in Mexico is also run on a public and private basis based on what

requirements are met within employment and socioeconomic status (InterNations, 2022). To see

a general practitioner in Mexico, one is placed on a scheduling system based on how early they

get to a particular clinic and if they are at the beginning of the line, they will see medical staff in

the morning, or the latter part of the line, in the afternoon (InterNations, 2022). In addition, based

on public or private healthcare, the waiting time to see a specialist for surgery or a diagnostic

procedure varies from eleven to fourteen weeks (InterNations, 2022). 

Cultural Practices

Health beliefs in Mexico vary from men to women, for example, mothers or female

guardians of young women do not teach them about sexual or reproductive health, as that would

be considered a taboo topic of conversation, therefore there are many unplanned pregnancies,

sexually transmitted infections, as well as problems with child deliveries due to obesity and

unhealthy habits in women (Camarena Ojinaga, et al., 2017). 

Cultural practices in Mexico regarding pregnancy include pregnancy as a normal

celebration (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). Many Latina women seek prenatal

care later in gestation due to pregnancy not being considered abnormal for woman (North

Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). Pregnant women may also not visit a traditional

doctor for midwifery. They will instead visit an unlicensed midwife if the baby is thought to be

in an unfavorable position or for any other non-serious complications (North Carolina Healthy

Start Foundation, 2007). Nor is it abnormal for pregnant women to bring many other female

family members to doctor’s appointments, as pregnancy is a woman’s business (North Carolina

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Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). It is also not thought of as necessary for a woman to take

gestational vitamins if she has a ‘healthy diet’ as they will cause unnecessary weight gain during

pregnancy (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). Latina women also are thought of to

fear epidurals and anesthesia during delivery and instead opt for non-medicated, drug- free,

vaginal deliveries (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). After childbirth, many

Latina women will practice the Cuuarentena, a 40-day resting period to recuperate after delivery

(North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). During the break women will not stand up

immediately after birth, avoid showering during the first few days, nor pick up any heavy items

(North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). Women also refrain from eating hot meals or

anything with beans to prevent gas buildup (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). It

is also said that leaving the home within the first weeks after birth as it is not considered healthy

therefore women may miss the first few post-partum appointments (North Carolina Healthy Start

Foundation, 2007).

There are also many theories regarding the physical qualities with which the baby is born

due to a mother’s actions during pregnancies, including birthmarks being proof of a woman not

humoring her food cravings (if she craves a strawberry, the baby will have a strawberry- shaped

birthmark when born). It is also said that seeing a lunar eclipse during pregnancy will cause the

child to have a cleft palate or cleft lip (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). It is

encouraged for women to indulge in their cravings during pregnancy in order to prevent

unfavorable markings (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). It is also not abnormal

for Latina women to crave things other than food, such as ice, dirt, gravel, or magnesium

carbonate (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). Among food cravings leading to

birthmarks, it is believed that drinking milk during pregnancy will lead to a large baby, therefore
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a difficult birth for the mother (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). As for labor and

birthing, Latina women believe that Chamomile tea is good to drink during labor, and ruda con

chocolate, a drink concocted with chocolate, could speed up labor if drunken (North Carolina

Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). After birth, women drink epazote, a Mexican herb, to flush the

stomach after birth (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). During pregnancy, light

physical activity is recommended in order to prevent the child from “sticking” to the uterus

leading to difficult labor or delivery (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). It is also

not recommended for women to have vaginal sexual intercourse as it will give the child a flat

head (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). Nor is it proper for a woman to raise her

arms above her head as it will cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the child’s head (North

Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007). Women are also told to avoid going to funerals while

pregnant as it could ‘harm the baby’ (North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, 2007).

As Mexico is a middle-income country, many young women have unmet reproductive

health needs in relation to contraceptive needs, and young pregnancies (Villalobos et al., 2017).

The youth in Mexico are sexually active, with 25.5% of males and 20.5% of females being

sexually active but 25% of those young women are reporting unmet contraceptive needs

(Villalobos et al., 2017). The fertility rate of adolescent pregnancies is 65.8 births per 1000

women in Mexico (Villalobos et al., 2017). As there are apparent gaps in reproductive

healthcare, there is no evidence as to improving the quality of healthcare services for women in

Mexico (Villalobos et al., 2017). Maternal mortality rate in Mexico reflects the socioeconomic

status of the highest and lowest of the country of Mexico. Mexico’s maternal mortality rate was

38 per 100,000 live births as of 2018 (Rodriguez- Aguilar, 2018). The maternal mortality is

relevant to the culture and health of Mexico as the country will grow or decrease due to births
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within the country. At birth, the life expectancy for a woman in Mexico is appropriately 78 years

of age (WorldBank, n.d.). The number of children born to women in Mexico has declined to

present day of two children per childbearing woman (WorldBank, n.d.). While the life

expectancy, maternal mortality rate, and fertility rates are all positive statistics, the disparities

that women in Mexico face when it comes to their reproductive rights and education about their

bodies are what is lacking. While it would be ideal for one in Mexico to take advantage of the

regional diet, in reality, it is simply what one is able to access based on socioeconomic status and

location.

In Mexico, the usual and traditional diet of all consists of the regional vegetables, fruit,

legumes, and whole grains (Santiago- Torres et al., 2016). Seemingly the country has healthier

practices with the regional and accessible diet, but Mexico still faces many cardiovascular health

issues (Mendoza- Herrera et al., 2019). There is correlated evidence that proves that healthy

dietary patterns among both men and women of reproductive age have a beneficial effect on

fertility (Panth et al., 2018). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans which recommends a high

consumption of whole grains, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated oils, vegetables, fruits, and

fish has been correlated with improved fertility in women and higher semen quality in men

(Panth et al., 2018). While the traditional Mexican diet is very rich and includes regional

vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, many Mexican women are still having fertility issues based

on the diet responsible for cardiovascular health and obesity (Santiago- Torres et al., 2016).

In Summary

Women in Mexico are undereducated about the autonomy they have over their

reproductive systems as well as how to healthily carry a child based upon the lack of gestational

healthcare resources. As cultural practices surrounding pregnancies may be controversial to

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some, young women should always be aware of their reproductive rights. There would ideally be

an increase in education regarding bodily autonomy as well as educational resources to improve

women’s chances of health and wellbeing. In addition, lower- and middle-class women need

more resources in all aspects of gestation to healthily deliver a child.

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