Rohingya Women’s Knowledge about Pregnancy Termination in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: A Community-Based Study in Four Camps

Abstract

Abstract Background: In 2017, approximately 770,000 Rohingya people were forcibly displaced from Myanmar and fled to Bangladesh and are currently residing in camps in Cox’s Bazar. Myanmar has a restrictive abortion law; in Bangladesh, menstrual regulation (MR) is legally allowed on demandup to 12 weeks after a woman’s last menstrual period. Little is known about how displaced Rohingya women are managing unintended pregnancies in Bangladesh. Methods: We collected data on women’s knowledge of abortion-related services in the camps for displaced people through a multistage random sample household survey with ever-married women of reproductive age (n=1173) sampled from four camps. One woman per household was selected; the survey was conducted in Rohingya and lasted approximately an hour and twenty minutes. Results: 52% of respondents in this sample knew of both pills and surgical methods to end a pregnancy while 23% had heard of neither method. 92% of respondents knew that health facilities provide MR. Only one-third knew that MR can be provided up to 11-12 weeks post last menstrual period with most respondents thinking that the maximum gestational age at which MR could be provided was eight weeks or less. Ease of access and long wait times at facilities were the primary reasons that respondents thought a woman might prefer to get pills to terminate a pregnancy somewhere other than a health facility. Being unmarried was the most common reason respondents though women could end a pregnancy legally. Reasons that respondents thought women should be able to end a pregnancy that they thought were not currently allowed reasons were when there are marital problems and when the woman gets pregnant from an extramarital affair. Ninety-nine percent believe a husband’s consent should be required for a woman to end a pregnancy. Conclusions: While knowledge about availability of pregnancy termination services from health facilities and trust in health facilities is high, there is room for improvement on education about gestational ages at which MR is legal and reasons for being able to access MR. Husband’s role in women’s healthcare underscores the importance of including men in health education and access in this context.