Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Address correspondence to:, Theo G. Purpose: To describe sexual and reproductive health characteristics of women who have sex with women WSW in Kenya's three most populous cities: Kisumu, Mombasa, and Nairobi. Although the last decade has shown an upsurge of health-related research studies in African sexual minority populations, these studies have generally concentrated on the health status of men who have sex with men to the exclusion of WSW.
This study presents the first findings on Kenyan WSW's sexual and reproductive health. Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted among women who were at least 18 years old, had at least one female sexual partner in the past three years, and were Kenyan residents. Results: A significant proportion of participants reported that they had at least one male sexual partner in the past three years Of the women who reported having been tested for HIV, 9.
Some women noted that they were open with their doctors about their sexual orientation, and that their doctors had not reacted negatively to this information. Conclusion: WSW in Kenya are at risk for negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes, including HIV, STIs, unplanned pregnancy, and unsafe abortion, positioning these women as a critical population for public health efforts.
Some WSW actively exercise their agency in making important health decisions. Therefore, this study indicates a need to incorporate WSW's health concerns within Kenyan national health policy programming. To date, available public health literature on gays and lesbians in Kenya has focused exclusively on men who have sex with men MSM to the exclusion of WSW. Additional findings have demonstrated that bacterial vaginosis was significantly more common in WSW than in women who denied ever having had sex with women.
Moreover, restrictive legal environments for WSW and MSM may detrimentally impact health outcomes in these populations. In particular, criminalization of homosexuality may deter these populations from seeking preventive medical care or openly discussing their sexual health with their physicians. Kenya's Penal Code criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual conduct among adults with a penalty of up to 14 years in prison.
