Understanding concerns and promoting reproductive health among the migrant population
Caterina Monzagnoli
Klinikum Großhadern, München, Germany
: J Womens Health, Issues Care
Abstract
Women are increasingly on the move: in Switzerland almost a third (27.8%) of all women giving birth in Switzerland are of nonâ€ÂÂSwiss nationality (Swiss Statistics 2015), since 1998 immigration has become the largest contributor to population growth in the UK (National Population Projections: 2012-based Statistical Bulletin), and in most of the other European countries. In general, pregnancy outcomes have improved over the last 30 years in some of the European countries who deal with this population, as shown for Switzerland in Pregnancy outcome of migrant women and integration policy: a systematic review of the international literature by Bollini and Wanner, 2006. However, in some migrant and ethnic minority groups improvements in pregnancy outcomes have been less visible and significant gaps remain. Furthermore, one in three migrant women from low- and middle-income countries has symptoms of perinatal depression (Migration and perinatal mental health in women from low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis, G Fellmeth et al, 2016). Given that foreigners in general represent up to 64% of the population, Luxemburg (Eurostat 2016), investigating and tackling this issue is imperative. The aim of the study was to assess the healthcare experiences of women with a migrant background during pregnancy, delivery and the postpartum period. The need for further investigation of factors, which may have driven differences between the groups, such as women’s expectations, remains a priority local institutions should address. Moreover strongly remain the recommendation to conduct a specific survey, which could directly link pregnancy outcomes and the post-partum follow-up with the migrant mothers’ psychosocial wellbeing taking into account how the psychosocial wellbeing affects the physical health.
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