Factors influencing sexual and reproductive health of Muslim women: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: In Islamic societies, issues related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) are rarely discussed and considered sensitive subjects. This review aimed to identify any personal, religious, cultural, or structural barriers to SRH service and education among Muslim women worldwide. Methods: A search for qualitative and quantitative studies was conducted on seven electronic databases. A narrative synthesis using thematic analysis was conducted. Results: Fifty-nine studies were included from 22 countries: 19 qualitative, 38 quantitative and two mixed methods. Many Muslim women have poor SRH knowledge, and negative attitudes which influence their access to, and use of SRH services. Barriers to contraception use among Muslim women included a lack of basic reproductive knowledge, insufficient knowledge about contraception, misconceptions, and negative attitudes. Women had negative attitudes towards family planning for limiting the number of children but not for child spacing, which reflected religious views towards family planning. Religious and cultural beliefs were barriers to contraception use and access to SRH services and information. Family and the community have a significant impact on women's contraceptive use and access to SRH services. Husband and family opposition played a significant role in contraception access and use. Fear of stigmatization and being labelled as having premarital sexual relations among unmarried women acted as the main barrier to accessing contraception and seeking SRH information and services. Conclusion: The findings reveal that there are multiple levels of factors that influence Muslim women's SRH. Poor SRH knowledge and practices among Muslim women is complex matter that is affected by personal, community, cultural, religious factors and existing policies and regulations. All these factors overlap and are affected by each other. There is an urgent need for interventions addressing modifiable barriers to SRH education and services to improve knowledge, informed choice and access to services to facilitate better sexual and reproductive wellbeing for Muslim women. It is important to note that while this review aimed to report findings on Muslim women, we acknowledge that significant variations exist within every culture and religion.

Trends and Predictors of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Sexually Active Ugandan Female Youths: Evidence from Three Demographic and Health Surveys, 2006-2016

“…Cultural beliefs, poor SRH knowledge, and negative attitudes towards SRH and contraception are also common among Muslim women. (33) In corroboration with other studies conducted in Uganda (2,7,10), our study shows an inversely signi cant association between STI status and coming from the northern region of Uganda. The northern region is classi ed among the rural regions of Uganda, so our results are consistent with ndings from other studies conducted in Uganda (34,35), which revealed that living in rural regions, including northern Uganda, was protective against STI acquisition.…”

Risk and protective factors for intention of contraception use among women in Ghana

“…Other studies in Africa (Abdi et al, 2020) and worldwide noted many potential causes of decreased contraception use in some Muslim communities. This includes misinterpretations of Islamic teachings on whether contraception is allowed, cultural preference for boys and large family sizes, beliefs that contraceptive use indicated infidelity or could lead to infertility, and the belief that sexual education may promote promiscuity (Alomair et al, 2020). Islamic and Traditionalist women in Ghana are more likely than other religious groups to use contraceptives covertly than non-covertly, and to voice concern over dire consequences if their contraception use is not kept confidential (Baiden et al, 2016).…”

Conducting Household Surveys on Reproductive Health in Urban Settings: Lessons From Karachi, Pakistan

“…Like other LMICs, we also found considerable seasonal migration of respondents, and faced di culty in identifying listed respondents in a cluster. A study conducted in Bolivia, Kenya, and South Africa showed similar nding of attrition rates between survey rounds and interviewer team tracked, followed and reinterviewed 84% of those women moved [27]. In our study, coordinating two teams to work in tandem and begin interviews immediately once each cluster's household listing was completed helped to minimize attrition between data collection activities.…”