Reproductive Health Problems and Health Seeking Behavior of Female Sex Workers in Sabon Gari Local Government Area; Zaria; Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Background: The sexual and reproductive health needs of sex workers have been neglected both in research and public health interventions. Among the reasons for this are the condemnation; stigma and ambiguous legal status of sex work in Nigeria. This study was aimed at determining the reproductive health problems and health-seeking behavior of brothel-based female sex workers (FSW). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among brothel-based FSW in Sabon-Gari Local Government in Zaria; Nigeria between 1 st January 2011 and 31 st June 2011. A total of 208 FSW were randomly selected and information was obtained with the use of the semi-structured questionnaire. Data entry was done with the help of structured codes in Microsoft Excel. Descriptive analysis was carried out using the statistical package (SSPS 16-University of Bristol). Results: Majority 90.7 of the respondents had experienced reproductive morbidity in the last 3 months. Frequently experienced symptoms were vaginal discharge (63.8); acute lower abdominal pain (57.5); menstrual irregularities (37) and genital ulcer (32.3). Genital tear occurred in only 25 (9.8) respondents. Furthermore; 178 (63.6) had a termination of unwanted pregnancies. Most (32.3) sought care for their reproductive health problems from chemist shops; followed by the private hospitals in 23.6