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The hidden impact on vulnerable pregnant women
2025-11-13
By Dr Nibedita S Ray-Bennett, Professor of Risk Management
When we talk about climate change, we often focus on carbon emissions, forest coverage, and rising sea levels. But here is a question that rarely makes headlines at climate negotiations: what happens to pregnant women and those experiencing reproductive health complications when disaster strikes?
At COP30, whilst world leaders are moving to focus on genuine implementation, the University of Leicester’s Avoidable Deaths Network is tackling a critical gap that’s too often overlooked: the reproductive health needs of women in disasters and humanitarian crises, which are worsening because of climate change.
The hidden impact: Why reproductive health matters in crises
Climate-related disasters such as floods, cyclones, heatwaves, and droughts, are becoming increasingly severe and frequent. Their impact extends far beyond destroyed homes and infrastructure. When disasters hit vulnerable communities in low and middle-income countries, women of reproductive age (14-49 years) face a double crisis: they lose access to essential healthcare precisely when they need it most, because of the effects of the disaster.
Consider incomplete or missed abortions requiring post-abortion care, or women needing menstrual regulation services, these aren’t rare scenarios in disaster zones. Without timely intervention, these treatable conditions become life-threatening emergencies. Yet in the chaos of humanitarian response, reproductive health is routinely side-lined.
This is not just an oversight. It is a systemic failure that costs lives.
From research to real-world solutions
This is where COP30’s emphasis on implementation becomes crucial. The Facility and Mobile Reproductive Health Kits, developed by the University of Leicester’s Avoidable Deaths Network, represent exactly the kind of practical, evidence-based solution the world needs right now.
These kits are purpose-built for disaster response. They contain essential and emergency medicines, equipment, and consumable supplies specifically designed to treat post-abortion complications and provide menstrual regulation services. Importantly, they can be administered by existing health workers such as nurses, medical officers, and community health volunteers already deployed in disaster zones. No additional specialist staff needed. No complex logistics. Just practical, localised healthcare when it matters most.
But here’s what makes this genuinely innovative: the kits are developed using the principles of localisation. Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all solution, national governments and local organisations in countries like Bangladesh and India will used kits which work for the country and need, including the right medicines and guidelines. This means the kits are culturally appropriate, economically viable, and usable within existing health systems.
Why this matters for COP30’s “Implementation Agenda”
COP30 is the “implementation COP”, a moment when climate pledges must translate into concrete action. The Facility and Mobile RH Kits embody that philosophy.
They are cost-effective, scalable, and directly address Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Target 5.6), the UN’s Minimum Initial Service Package for disasters, and the Sphere Minimum Standards in Disaster Response. In other words, they are not a nice-to-have addition to humanitarian response, they are a critical foundation for meeting international standards on disaster preparedness.
The urgency is real
We know that climate-related disasters will only increase. We know that vulnerable populations bear the disproportionate burden. And we know that reproductive health services are essential, non-negotiable healthcare.
Yet funding for reproductive health in disasters remains stubbornly inadequate. Research-backed solutions like these kits exist, but they need support to move from pilot phases to widespread deployment.
What happens next?
The Avoidable Deaths Network is moving into the crucial piloting phase. With approval from the Bangladesh Government’s Director General of Family Planning, work will soon be underway at disaster-prone primary health facilities. The response so far in prototyping has been overwhelmingly positive, with healthcare workers and government representatives recognising both the need and the solution.
But scaling this across regions and countries facing climate-related disasters requires investment, political will and the kind of collaborative action that COP30 is supposedly about.
The bottom line
Climate change is not just an environmental crisis – it is a health crisis. And it is a reproductive health crisis for millions of women in vulnerable communities.
Whilst negotiators in Belém debate emission targets and climate finance, the Avoidable Deaths Network is quietly demonstrating what real climate adaptation looks like: practical, evidence-based solutions that save lives today, not decades from now.
Learn more about the Facility and Mobile Reproductive Health Kits: Visit the Avoidable Deaths Network to discover how these lifesaving kits are being developed and deployed in disaster zones.
Want to get involved? The project is seeking stakeholders, partners, and supporters across government, healthcare, NGOs, and academia. Get in touch with the principal investigator Professor Nibedita Ray-Bennett (nsrb1@leicestesr.ac.uk ) or contact the Avoidable Deaths Network (contact@avoidable-deaths.net ) to learn how you can contribute.