Contraceptive use in the migrant population: The case of pregnant venezuelan migrants in two receiving cities on the north coast of Colombia

Abstract

Introduction: Migratory processes can affect women's access and use of contraceptive methods. Objective: To describe the use of contraceptive methods by pregnant Venezuelan mi-grants in two cities 011 the north coast of Colombia (Barran-quilla and Riohacha), between 2018 and 2019. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional smdy was designed. Participants were selected through systematic sampling in hospitals and snowball sampling in the community. A standardized questionnaire allowed the sociodemographic. migration, contraceptive use and other variables to be collected. Results: 552 pregnant, mainly young, women from Venezuela who are married or living with their partner were surveyed. The minority of pregnancies were planned (37.7%), even though the women knew about contraception methods. The condom and the pill were the most well-known methods (94.7 and 96.1°/o, respectively). Conclusion: Nearly all of the women knew about birth control and where it can be accessed. However, only half managed to get them the last time they looked for them, meaning that most of the pregnancies were unplanned. Guaranteed sexual and reproductive rights, including satisfactory family planning requirements, must be a priority hi actions aimed at the migrant population, within the framework of the Colombian-Venezuelan migratory phenomenon.