Sexual and reproductive health during international travel: Expectations and experiences among female university students.

ObjectiveTo evaluate female students' expectations and experiences related to their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) during international travel.

Participants

Female students from a US university with a history of sex with men completed a cross-sectional survey about their upcoming (Pre-travelers; n = 170) or recent (Travelers; n = 340) international travel.

Methods

Descriptive statistics were used to characterize pre-travel SRH expectations (for Pre-travelers) and to determine the prevalence of 15 SRH experiences during both recent and lifetime travel (for Travelers).

Results

Pre-travelers overwhelmingly expected to be abstinent and many were unsure of whether SRH supplies would be accessible in their destination. During Travelers' recent trip, SRH experiences included getting off schedule with contraception (30%), unwanted sexual touching (18%), new male sex partners (17%), and unexpected sex (15%); lifetime prevalence estimates were higher.

Conclusions

International travel poses risks to female students' SRH that can be addressed by pre-travel counseling from study-abroad programs and clinicians.