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Birth Tourism: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Aim: The importance of birth tourism within the scope of medical tourism has increased day by day. Therefore, the importance of studies that will raise awareness about birth tourism has also increased. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to systematically review the studies conducted on birth tourism.
Method: The literature was reviewed via PubMed, Taylor & Francis, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and Scopus databases within the scope of the study. The scope of this study was limited to the studies on birth tourism published in English as a full text. According to literature review, 601 studies were accessed from the specified databases and nine studies were reached by manual search, and a total of 610 studies were obtained as a result of the search. 19 studies were included within the framework of the specified inclusion criteria.
Results: The research methods of the studies conducted between 2016-2023 were qualitative, quantitative and mixed, and it was determined that the mothers who went to give birth were Ghanaian, Chinese, and Taiwanese. The destinations visited for giving birth were the United States, Hong Kong, and Canada. Considering the reasons of mothers traveled abroad within the scope of birth tourism, it has been determined that they provide a better future for their children, acquire citizenship, benefit from better health services, and immigration, because of the policies of the country they live in, personal choices, and lack of trust in the country they live in.
Conclusion: As a result of the current study, in which the recent studies in the literature were examined by using systematic literature review method, it was identified that the studies on birth tourism were not quantitatively sufficient and it was revealed that there was a need to increase the number of studies on birth tourism. In addition, it is necessary to raise awareness in the field by addressing important issues such as the definition of birth tourism, its advantages and disadvantages, and mothers’ experiences, regarding studies that will be conducted both in the review and research in the field.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Health Management
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
December 31, 2025
Submission Date
January 20, 2025
Acceptance Date
November 12, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 2025 Number: 27
APA
Yılmaz, N., & Ekim, H. (2025). Birth Tourism: A Systematic Review. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences, 27, 1090-1105. https://doi.org/10.38079/igusabder.1623818
AMA
1.Yılmaz N, Ekim H. Birth Tourism: A Systematic Review. IGUSABDER. 2025;(27):1090-1105. doi:10.38079/igusabder.1623818
Chicago
Yılmaz, Necla, and Hilal Ekim. 2025. “Birth Tourism: A Systematic Review”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences, nos. 27: 1090-1105. https://doi.org/10.38079/igusabder.1623818.
EndNote
Yılmaz N, Ekim H (December 1, 2025) Birth Tourism: A Systematic Review. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences 27 1090–1105.
IEEE
[1]N. Yılmaz and H. Ekim, “Birth Tourism: A Systematic Review”, IGUSABDER, no. 27, pp. 1090–1105, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.38079/igusabder.1623818.
ISNAD
Yılmaz, Necla - Ekim, Hilal. “Birth Tourism: A Systematic Review”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences. 27 (December 1, 2025): 1090-1105. https://doi.org/10.38079/igusabder.1623818.
JAMA
1.Yılmaz N, Ekim H. Birth Tourism: A Systematic Review. IGUSABDER. 2025;:1090–1105.
MLA
Yılmaz, Necla, and Hilal Ekim. “Birth Tourism: A Systematic Review”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences, no. 27, Dec. 2025, pp. 1090-05, doi:10.38079/igusabder.1623818.
Vancouver
1.Necla Yılmaz, Hilal Ekim. Birth Tourism: A Systematic Review. IGUSABDER. 2025 Dec. 1;(27):1090-105. doi:10.38079/igusabder.1623818