Women’s Health and Pandemic Crisis (eBook)

This book focuses on the unique challenges for women in a pandemic situation, both as caretakers and patients. It has been noted that in the last two years medical doctors, psychologists, and health workers have seen a huge impact of the pandemic experience on women and their families. Children and adolescents suffered from a strong reduction of social contacts, while families had often to resort to cramped living condition that put a strain on normal life activities, especially in underprivileged areas of society. Fear and uncertainty reigned. All these factors caused a wide range of psychosocial symptoms, from loneliness to domestic violence, depression, and psychosomatic reactions. 

As health professionals, women have been influenced by the pandemic experience as well. Hospital staff, who had to care for a huge number of seriously ill patients in a very short time, were confronted with considerable expectations, which often turned into hostility, especially in the period before vaccinations became available. Psychotherapists received increased requests for appointments and had to adjust to video consultation for those they were able to accommodate in their practice.

Seeing the pandemic crisis as an opportunity to learn from mistakes, and lack of preparation, fostering a greater understanding of women's health in general, and the unique experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, trauma, adolescence, body experience, and gender identity that affects their health. This book gathers our current state of knowledge about women in the extreme situation of a pandemic crisis and points the way to an improved level of care for the future.

'This timely view of women's mental health in pandemics provides a vision to the path we must all take now to assist women in some of the most important elements of preventive care: their mental and emotional well-being ... [T]his book emphasizes that the mental health of a mother must be considered in all circumstances. Well done for being the conscience we need!'

- Jeanne Ann Conry, MD, PhD, President, The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Past President, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Immediate Past Chair, The Women's Preventive Health Initiative (WPSI)

? Vivian Pramataroff Hamburger

Gynaecologist, psychotherapist, specialist of sexual medicine. Doctorate at Jena University on psychosomatic topic. Lecturer and supervisor at Munich university and Bavarian Medical Council, Board member of the International Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ISPOG) since 2016.

Member of the Munich working group 'Film & Psychoanalysis' in cooperation with the Academy for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy and the Munich Film Museum. Curator of the 1st International Bulgarian Festival Film and Psychoanalysis - Apollonia 2011, Sozopol, Bulgaria. Editor with Andreas Hamburger of the book 'From La Strada to The Hours. Suffering and Sovereign Women in Feature Film' (Springer, 2021)

Gynaecologist and psychotherapist with focus on psychosomatic gynaecology.

1998 to 2012 Head of the Department of Psychosomatic Gynaecology at the Hannover Medical School and since 2001 Associate Professor at the same institution. 2012 to 2022 Private practice for psychotherapy in Aachen, Germany

Honorary functions in several scientific societies, including the German Society for Psychosomatic Gynaecology and Obstetrics, DGPFG, where she was formerly president and is now a member of the advisory board and in the International Society for Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, ISPOG, as President since 2022.

Numerous publications, book contributions and editorships. Since 2006, chief editor of the journal Ärztliche Psychotherapie und Psychosomatische Medizin published by Schattauer Publishers at Klett-Cotta.