2017/04/03 by Tasnuva Wahed, Anadil Alam, Salima Sultana +2 · 64 citations
Health Professions · Medicine · Nursing · Social Sciences · #Abortion #Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health #Childbirth #Developing country #Dilation and curettage #Environmental health #Family medicine #Family planning #HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions #Health care #Medicine #Nursing #Population #Pregnancy #Reproductive health #Research methodology #Sex work and related issues #Unsafe abortion
paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174540
published in PLoS ONE 12(4), e0174540 (Public Library of Science)
openalex publication_date 2017/04/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/08
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to document sexual and reproductive health (SRH) practices among female sex workers (FSWs) including abortion, pregnancy, use of maternal healthcare services and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with the aim of developing recommendations for action. METHODS: A total of 731 FSWs aged between 15 and 49 years were surveyed using a stratified sampling in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A workshop with 23 participants consisted of policy makers, researchers, program implementers was conducted to formulate recommendations. RESULTS: About 61.3% of 731 FSWs reported SRH-related experiences in the past one year, including abortion (15.5%), ongoing pregnancy (9.0%), childbirth (8.3%) or any symptoms of STIs (41.6%). Among FSWs who had an abortion (n = 113), the most common methods included menstrual regulation through manual vacuum aspiration (47.8%), followed by Dilation and Curettage procedure (31%) and oral medicine from pharmacies (35.4%). About 57.5% of 113 cases reported post abortion complications. Among FSWs with delivery in the past year (n = 61), 27.7% attended the recommended four or more antenatal care visits and more than half did not have any postnatal visit. Adopting sustainable and effective strategies to provide accessible and adequate SRH services for FSWs was prioritized by workshop participants. CONCLUSION: There was substantial unmet need for SRH care among FSWs in urban areas in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Therefore, it is important to integrate SRH services for FSWs in the formal healthcare system or integration of abortion and maternal healthcare services within existing HIV prevention services.