Reproductive Health and Gender-Based Violence among Displaced Syrian Women in Lebanon

The research aims at studying the relation between forced migration and reproductive health (RH) outcomes. Focus group discussions and cross sectional survey of Syrian refugee women residing in Lebanon were done. The information collected related to their current reproductive status, their reproductive history during the conflict, their needs for services, their experiences with sexual and gender based violence, and their help seeking behaviors. Of the 452 women surveyed, 74 were pregnant during the conflict, several of them more than once, preterm delivery was high. The most common pregnancy related problem was anemia, abdominal pains and bleeding. As for RH diseases menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea and vaginal discharges were common. Prioritizing other members’ wellbeing was a major reason for not seeking medical help. Moreover, 31% of women had personal experience of violence (physical, sexual or psychological) and are currently experiencing IPV but half of them elected not to talk about abuse.