Birth control access experiences for members of an Indigenous tribe in the Gulf Coast

Abstract

The framework of reproductive justice is increasingly being utilized to investigate and understand the experiences of Indigenous women in accessing healthcare. However, the experiences of state-recognized tribes, which do not receive healthcare through the Indian Health Service (IHS), have received less attention. The objective of this study was to explore the birth control access experiences and barriers among Indigenous women belonging to a state-recognized tribe in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. In partnership with a community advisory board, a qualitative descriptive research approach was used to conduct semi-structured life course interviews with 31 Indigenous women. Themes related to birth control included: What Form of Birth Control Used; Lack of Communication With Doctor About Birth Control, with the subtheme: Lack of Communication About Side Effects of Birth Control; Limited Access to Birth Control; and Beliefs and Values About Birth Control. Through exploring the unique ways women who are members of a state-recognized tribe access and use birth control, this research begins to fill an important gap in reproductive justice literature. These findings indicate that important reproductive justice components related to birth control access and holistic, culturally-informed provider-interactions are currently lacking for members in this tribe.