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Introduction The Kenyan government has committed to increasing access to comprehensive reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health (RMNCH) services. However, inequalities still exist. Women who inject drugs are an important sub-population for public health interventions, yet their RMNCH needs have largely been overlooked. Additionally, there is a lack of research to inform RMNCH interventions for this sub-population. Methods In 2015, we undertook interviews and focus group discussions with 45 women who inject drugs and five key stakeholders to understand these women’s RMNCH experiences and needs. Results Women’ access to essential services across the RMNCH continuum was low. Two thirds of the women were not using contraception. Many discovered they were pregnant late, due to amenorrhea of drug use, and thus were unable to enroll for antenatal care early. Facility-based deliveries were limited with many choosing to deliver at home. Following delivery, women’s attendance to immunization services was sub-optimal. Stigma from healthcare workers was a major factor impeding women’s use of existing RMNCH services. The prospect of experiencing withdrawals at health facilities where waiting times were long, deterred utilization of these services. Additionally, women faced competing priorities, having to choose between purchasing heroin or spending their money on health-related costs. Conclusions Several barriers disrupted women’s access to services across the RMNCH continuum. Consequently, there is a need to develop equitable, comprehensive, and family-centered RMNCH interventions tailored to women who inject drugs, through a combination of supply- and demand-side interventions. For optimal impact, RMNCH services should be integrated into harm reduction programs.

We explored contraceptive use among 45 women who inject drugs in coastal Kenya. Overall, 29% were using contraceptives, motivated by a fear of unplanned pregnancy, a desire to shield children from the difficulties of drug use, the need to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, encouragement from health providers and outreach workers, or because they had achieved the desired number of children. However, 69% were not using contraceptives. Barriers to use included current pregnancy intentions, perceived infertility due to drug-induced amenorrhea, side effects, intimate partners’ influence, lack of information, complex health care appointments, and transportation costs. Rights-based integration of sexual and reproductive health into harm reduction services for women who inject drugs is required to minimize unmet contraception needs.

Background A tenth of all people who inject drugs in Kenya are women, yet their social contexts and experiences remain poorly understood. This paper reports how multiple forms of stigma are experienced by women who inject drugs in coastal Kenya and the impact that they have on their ability to access essential health services. Methods In 2015, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were held with 45 women who inject drugs in two coastal towns. These data were supplemented with in-depth interviews with five individual stakeholders involved in service provision to this population. Data were analyzed thematically using NVivo. Results Women who inject drugs experience multiple stigmas, often simultaneously. These included the external stigma and self-stigma of injection drug use, external gender-related stigma of being a female injecting drug user, and the external stigma of being HIV positive (i.e., among those living with HIV). Stigma led to rejection, social exclusion, low self-esteem, and delay or denial of services at health facilities. Conclusion HIV and harm reduction programs should incorporate interventions that address different forms of stigma among women who inject drugs in coastal Kenya. Addressing stigma will require a combination of individual, social, and structural interventions, such as collective empowerment of injecting drug users, training of healthcare providers on issues and needs of women who inject drugs, peer accompaniment to health facilities, addressing wider social determinants of stigma and discrimination, and expansion of harm reduction interventions to change perceptions of communities towards women who inject drugs.

There is limited data regarding women who inject drugs, and how harm-reduction services can be made more women-centered. This study explored experiences of Kenyan women who inject drugs, with regard to access to HIV, harm reduction and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. A total of 45 women who inject drugs and 5 key stakeholders participated in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that stigma, long distances, lack of confidentiality, user fees, multiple appointments, drug users’ unfamiliarity with health facilities, disconnect in communication with healthcare providers, and healthcare providers’ lack of understanding of women’s needs were factors that impede women’s access to health services. Community-based services, comprising of outreach and drop-in centers mitigate these barriers by building trust, educating women on their health and rights, linking women to health facilities, sensitizing health providers on the needs of women who inject drugs, and integrating women’s SRH services into community-based harm-reduction outreach. Inclusion of SRH services into community-based harm-reduction activities increased women’s interest and access to harm-reduction interventions. These findings underscore the need to strengthen community-based programming for women who inject drugs, and to integrate SRH services into needle and syringe exchange programs.

We explored contraceptive use among 45 women who inject drugs in coastal Kenya. Overall, 29% were using contraceptives, motivated by a fear of unplanned pregnancy, a desire to shield children from the difficulties of drug use, the need to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, encouragement from health providers and outreach workers, or because they had achieved the desired number of children. However, 69% were not using contraceptives. Barriers to use included current pregnancy intentions, perceived infertility due to drug-induced amenorrhea, side effects, intimate partners’ influence, lack of information, complex health care appointments, and transportation costs. Rights-based integration of sexual and reproductive health into harm reduction services for women who inject drugs is required to minimize unmet contraception needs.

There is limited data regarding women who inject drugs, and how harm-reduction services can be made more women-centered. This study explored experiences of Kenyan women who inject drugs, with regard to access to HIV, harm reduction and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. A total of 45 women who inject drugs and 5 key stakeholders participated in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that stigma, long distances, lack of confidentiality, user fees, multiple appointments, drug users’ unfamiliarity with health facilities, disconnect in communication with healthcare providers, and healthcare providers’ lack of understanding of women’s needs were factors that impede women’s access to health services. Community-based services, comprising of outreach and drop-in centers mitigate these barriers by building trust, educating women on their health and rights, linking women to health facilities, sensitizing health providers on the needs of women who inject drugs, and integrating women’s SRH services into community-based harm-reduction outreach. Inclusion of SRH services into community-based harm-reduction activities increased women’s interest and access to harm-reduction interventions. These findings underscore the need to strengthen community-based programming for women who inject drugs, and to integrate SRH services into needle and syringe exchange programs.