Refugee women's experiences with contraceptive care after resettlement in high-income countries: A critical interpretive synthesis

Abstract

Refugee women often share histories of forced displacement, economic hardship, or gender-based violence and may face common barriers to reproductive health care access after resettlement in high-income countries. This Critical Interpretive Synthesis integrates the available data on contraceptive care for refugee women after resettlement. The review examined shared aspects of the refugee experience that impact women's access to high-quality contraceptive care and transcend the particularities of specific health systems or countries of origin. These include possible shifts in gendered norms and fertility preferences after resettlement, prior experiences with contraception in home countries, refugee camps, and other sites of first-asylum, and negative experiences with health care providers after resettlement (i.e., communication barriers or experiencing discrimination). Our findings demonstrate the need for further methodologically-rigorous research in the field of refugee reproductive health, specifically in relation to evidence-based approaches to training interpreters and providers in contraceptive care for refugees and on male partners and their influence on contraceptive use.

Keywords: Asylum-seekers; Contraception; Family planning; Health disparities; Migrant health; Refugees.