A/HRC/56/CRP.8 the coup, with higher levels of maternal and infant mortality. Some of the most common complications experienced by pregnant women and new mothers are hemorrhages, miscarriage, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and anemia. Even in areas where maternal and birth services are available, women are often unable to afford medical costs associated with giving birth due to economic difficulties and the collapse of the public health system following the coup. 137. Many of these complications are driven by the food crisis and severe malnutrition, which has made it extremely difficult for expecting and new mothers to get adequate levels of nutrition. 138. The lack of test kits—including for Hepatitis B and C and hemoglobin—further complicate care for pregnant women. Displaced and conflict-affected women also reportedly suffer extremely high rates of pregnancy-induced anxiety and perinatal depression but struggle to access mental health services and counseling. A Karenni woman who was displaced from her village and had recently given birth told the Special Rapporteur about the health challenges she has faced as a new mother: I recently delivered my baby and I was in a fragile situation. [I] could not even pick up a blanket, it was a shock. I only have four clothes for my newborn baby… I went to displaced camp but [it] didn’t have enough aid, not enough medicine, or food supply… The water is not clean. I had a kidney stone and my urine was also infected. When I had my period, I had excessive bleeding, but I did not have a pad to use, so it got infected. My baby is a newborn, but I can’t get vaccines or any medicine. We have some basic medicine that we brought, but this is the only medicine that we have. 139. The majority of pregnant women in conflict-affected areas are giving birth in nonclinical settings, including their homes, IDP camps, and hiding places such as caves or the jungle, raising the chances of additional complications and maternal or infant death during labor and delivery. Some pregnant women decide not to travel to a hospital or clinic due to fear of encountering conflict or airstrikes on the way. According to anecdotal reports received by the Special Rapporteur, in Karenni State up to 70 percent of mothers are giving birth in non-clinical settings. If complications arise, midwives and local nurses sometimes try to rush women to the nearest clinic or hospital, but must contend with checkpoints, poor road quality, and other transportation and security challenges. Some women have reportedly died while being transported to a hospital or clinic. 140. Many women do not wish to have children while displaced or in conflict settings but have little or no access to contraception or family planning services. The SAC has reportedly blocked contraceptives at checkpoints, preventing them from being delivered to displaced populations and opposition-controlled areas. In some liberated areas, health professionals have set up mobile clinics that provide contraceptives, but cultural stigmas around sexual health and poor sexual education still hinder women’s access to family planning. These factors are reportedly contributing to a rise in unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, child abandonment, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infections. 141. In urban areas, clinics run by NGOs are providing contraceptives, but costs and long waiting lists prevent some women from accessing these services. The price of contraceptives has skyrocketed since the coup. Women’s organizations have told the Special Rapporteur that extremely limited organizational funding and a lack of dedicated funding streams for sexual and reproductive healthcare mean that they must prioritize providing basic needs such as food and water over family planning services. 142. The Special Rapporteur has received reports that women are increasingly relying on unsafe abortions to end unwanted pregnancies, with credible reports indicating that cases have at least doubled in some areas. Abortion is illegal in Myanmar, except in cases where the life of the mother is at risk, meaning that many abortions are performed in informal 32