Previous research has also found that undocumented women have an increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and majority of them are not adequately screened. Undocumented pregnant women use less health care services compared with other women in the same country and the onset of prenatal care is often delayed. Previous research has shown that undocumented migrants encounter great difficulties in accessing health services. In addition, in Finland, those EU citizens, who do not have a health insurance to cover the costs of medical care, are considered undocumented migrants. A person may end up as undocumented, for example, as a result of an expired visa or resident permit, a rejected asylum claim, or while waiting for a resident permit. Īn undocumented migrant is a person who does not have a valid permit to reside in a country. With continuous prenatal care throughout pregnancy, it is possible to prevent pregnancy complications and arrange proper medical care and guidance when needed. Undocumented pregnant women constitute a particularly vulnerable group of people who lack equal access to quality pregnancy care. The prevalence of infectious diseases was significantly higher and the coverage of prenatal screenings deficient amongst undocumented pregnant women.Įvery woman should be entitled to special care and assistance during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. Most women received inadequate prenatal care and some of them did not receive prenatal care at all. Undocumented women entered prenatal care later than recommended. The prevalence of HIV ( p-value < 0.001) and HBV (p-value = 0.007) was significantly higher amongst undocumented women compared with all pregnant women. Of the study population, 5% (3/59) tested positive for HIV, 3% (2/59) for HBV, and 2% (1/57) for syphilis. The majority (71%) of the undocumented women received inadequate prenatal care as the number of visits was less than eight. Undocumented women entered prenatal care later and had fewer visits compared with all pregnant women. However, four women received no prenatal care and three women were denied access to care. The majority (91%) of the undocumented women attended public prenatal care. The results of the study were compared with national data on parturients and deliveries ( N = 47,274 women) and with prenatal screening tests for infectious diseases ( N = 51,447, N = 51,446 ). The study population consists of 62 individual pregnancies of undocumented women. The study was a retrospective register-based study consisting of data collected between 2014 to 2018 from the electronic medical records of the public maternity clinic and maternity hospital in Helsinki, Finland. The aim of this study was to describe the use of maternal health care services and the obstetric outcomes of undocumented women in Helsinki, capital city of Finland, in addition to comparing the results with all pregnant women in Finland. Previous research has shown that undocumented migrants encounter difficulties in accessing health services, the onset of prenatal care is delayed, and women have an increased risk for infectious diseases. Undocumented pregnant women constitute a vulnerable group of people who lack equal access to pregnancy care.
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