Sexual and reproductive health
This will be the first time that La Marató has dealt with this theme, which, according to the health professionals, comprises all the diseases that most affect the population in all aspects of their lives and throughout their lives. They are diseases that have a prevalence (number of people affected in a population at a particular time) of three million people in Catalonia, and an incidence (number of new cases that appear in a population at a particular time) that is estimated at 210,905 new cases every year. These figures are significantly high, and also represent a considerable cost for the health service positioned at 12.2%. In the research field teams investigating sexual and reproductive health write 9% of Catalan scientific publications, which puts them at the world average.
The professional experts in SRH point out that diseases related to sexuality and reproduction are very poorly known, especially among young people. This edition will look at the pathologies and complications connected with the reproductive apparatus, reproductive medicine and aspects related to pregnancy and childbirth among others. Some examples of these diseases and problems, which seriously affect people's quality of life, especially women, are pre-eclampsia (a serious condition that is characterised by hypertension and proteins in the urine during pregnancy), endometriosis (a chronic disease in which the endometrium, which is the tissue that lines the uterus, grows and is implanted outside the original cavity), sexually transmitted infections, pelvic pain and the vaginismus (genital pain caused by an involuntary contraction of the muscles that surround the entry to the vagina), problems associated with menstruation and the menopause, prematurely, sexual dysfunctions, dysfunctions of the pelvic floor such as prolapse (fall of the uterus caused by weakness of the tissues that surround it), urinary and anal incontinence, infertility, gestation, problems in childbirth and cancers of the breast, neck of the uterus and prostate.
This year's La Marató wishes to pay special attention to the need to take into account the gender perspective in all fields of medicine and research. In particular, the capacity for research on sexuality and reproduction will affect such necessary fields as prevention, diagnosis and treatment of these diseases among the public, paying special attention to women, the group most affected, with advanced tools like artificial intelligence and telemedicine in all the specialities involved and through all the areas of research. In this regard La Marató will continue to ensure that the research represents the population balance necessary to improve expectancy and quality of life for everybody.
Raising awareness of prevention in the field of sexual and reproductive health is paramount. To that end, La Marató will educate and inform young people, especially women, that SRH has a profound lifelong effect. Moreover, according to the experts, many problems that affect women, because of their biological nature, have become invisible or have been largely ignored over the centuries. This year La Marató wants t help to reverse this situation.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), sexual health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality. It requires a positive and respectful focus of sexuality and sexual relations, free of all coercion, discrimination and violence. For its part, reproductive health is defined as the ability to reproduce and the freedom to take decisions that are informed, free and responsible. Thus, SRH explores the health of the sexual and reproductive system through all stages of people's lives, respecting the right to a health body.
