Evaluation of reproductive health status among women referring to rural healthcare centers in Neyshabur (Iran) in 2017.

Background: Reproductive health is one of the most important aspects of life. Moreover, rural women constitute the largest demographic in society who are deprived of health services.

Objective: To determine the reproductive health needs of rural women of reproductive age.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 405 rural women referring to the rural healthcare centers of Neyshabur, Iran, in 2017. The study population was selected through random multistage sampling technique. Data collection was carried out using a standardized questionnaire, evaluating sexual and reproductive health needs. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics in SPSS version 17.

Results: According to the results, 99.2% and 95.5% of the females received prenatal and postpartum healthcare, respectively. In addition, the rate of cesarean section was 30.25% among the rural women. The contraceptive pill was the most known birth control method (88.9%), whereas coitus interruptus was the most frequently used method (28.5%). Moreover, 59.8% of the rural women married at the age of ≤ 18 years. The most known sexually transmitted disease for these women was HIV/AIDS (81.7%), and just more than half of them had a history of colored vaginal discharge over the past 12 months (56.8%). Furthermore, these women reported 33.1% domestic violence over the past year.

Conclusion: The findings of the present study revealed the urgent need for planning programs to improve the reproductive health of rural women.