Sexual and reproductive health and sociocultural aspects of indigenous women

Objective: To know the profile of sexual and reproductive health and sociocultural aspects of indigenous women Methods: Observational and descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in an outpatient reference center for indigenous health in the period from 2010 to 2013. A semi-structured questionnaire containing socio-cultural data and history of sexual and reproductive life was applied. Cervicovaginal smear was collected. Descriptive analysis was conducted using mean and standard deviation (SD) for quantitative variables and absolute and relative numbers for qualitative variables. Results: The sample included 90 indigenous women with mean age of 36 years (±SD13.41), belonging to 35 ethnicities. A total of 75 women (83.4%) experienced the first sexual intercourse at age 12-19 years, 74 (82.2%) were at reproductive age, 36 (48.6%) used contraceptive methods such as hormonal contraceptives and tubal sterilization. There was a mean of 4.6 births per woman; average age at first childbirth was 17.3 years (±SD 3.23); 23 of the women (26.8%) had 1-3 abortions and 26 (31. 2%) had one or more cesarean deliveries. In all, eight women (8.9%) presented alterations for cytologic atypia and sexually transmitted diseases (Trichomonas vaginalis and Human Papillomavirus) in the Pap test. Conclusion: Vulnerable conditions for indigenous women were observed based on their sexual and reproductive profile, with exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer, early initiation of sexual activity and poor access to information and prevention.