Reproductive Health Sequelae of Female Ebola Virus Disease Survivors in Sierra Leone

Authors

  • Shirley L.V. Williams Department of Biological Sciences, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone
  • Alhaji U. N'jai Department of Biological Sciences, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314.3.10

Abstract

We study the prevalence of reproductive health sequelae among female Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors in Sierra Leone. Nearly five years after deadly 2014 EVD outbreak, many women and men infected with virus continue to live with post-EVD complications, that are both physical and psychological in nature. This study examines the prevalence of post-EVD reproductive sequelae among a small cohort of female survivors in Freetown. We utilized a cross-sectional study of 25 EVD female survivors to determine the prevalence of reproductive complications and types. Quantitative data was collected using semi structured questionnaire and demographic data on EVD survivors was collected. Three out twenty-five female survivors (12 % prevalence rate) reported pregnancies ending in still births, whereas one out of 25 (4 % prevalence rate) reported having spontaneous abortion. Prior to EVD infection, 22 (92%) out of 25 female survivors reported having regular menstruation. Post-EVD infection, 60% (15) of the survivors reported irregular menstruation with unknown reason, 4% (one person) reported irregular menstruation with known reason, and 36% (9) experienced regular menstruation. Post-EVD at the time of data collection, 15 (60%) of them reported regular menstruation, nine (36 %) reported irregular menstruation for known reasons, one (4%) reported irregular menstruation based on an unknown reason. Two (8%) of control and EVD survivor participants reported having amenorrhea. In addition, oligomenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and menorrhagia were reported by female EVD survivors at 16% (4 out of 25), 44 % (11 out of 25), and 32 % (8 out of 25), respectively. Despite the small sample size of the data to warrant definite conclusions, the trends in the data show higher prevalence of reproductive sequelae among female EVD survivors compared to a corresponding control sample from the general population.

Keywords: Ebola, Reproductive Health Sequelae, Ebola Survivors, Prevalence

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Published

2026-06-12

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 3 (2026): May 2026

Section

Original Articles

License

Submission of manuscripts to the Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research is of the understanding that the article either in part or whole is not under consideration for publication in any other Journal. Accepted papers become the permanent property of Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research but unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium is permitted, provided the original work is properly cited.