Health, reproduction and sexuality in times of COVID-19: embodied memories of women in Brazil

Objective: this study seeks to comprehend the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's lives and health, with a particular focus on sexual and reproductive health, andto reflect on sexual and reproductive rights and reproductive justice within the context of the health crisis.Methods:employing an online questionnaire featuring 113 objective questions and one open-ended question for free comments, the study gathered responses from 8,313 women. Out of these, 1,838 utilized the open question to articulate their experiences during the pandemic. The collected material underwent analysis using narrative and thematic approaches, along with memory construction techniques.Results:the findings indicate heightened challenges in accessing health services, particularly for sexual and reproductive health. The pandemic deepened inequities in the sexual division of labor, leading to increased domestic and professional workloads, economic insecurity, elevated tensions in affective-sexual relationships, greater exposure to violence, and notable repercussions on psycho-emotional health. These factors collectively influenced women's health/illness experiences, sexual lives, and reproductive plans during the initial years of the pandemic. Conclusion: the intersection of the health crisis with a democratic crisis in rights has intertwined social and physiological factors into the historical and material experiences of women's sexual and reproductive bodies. These experiences follow the trajectories of gender, race, and class-based precariousness and injustices. Women's accounts contribute to the construction of a collective memory of the pandemic that is not necessarily uniform or linear. Beyond illustrating the present moment, these memories aid in understanding and addressing similar crises in the future.