Starting in 1978, several wave of Afghans refugees arrived in Iran along the timing of military invasion, civil war, and the control of the country by the Taliban. In between these calamities economic opportunity especially in the construction and agriculture in Iran supported the increasing number of Afghan population and augmented the number of those who wanted to make home in Iran. According to the 1996 census, there were about 800 thousands Afghans counted in Iran (Statistical Center of Iran, 2000). The unofficial estimate of the Afghan population goes beyond one million. In 2000, an estimate of 1.4 million Afghan was reported to live in Iran under different status (UNCHR, 2006). In 2004, it was estimated that a little over one million documented Afghans (1009, 354 individuals) remained in Iran. About 90 percent of this population lived in households with 2 or more members. The province of Khorasan had the second largest number of the Afghan family households after Tehran province. Mashad is the largest and the capital city of Khoransan province, where a great majority of Afghan population live. Mashad has been the second most populous destination of Afghan families who moved to Iran. This paper provides a window to fertility and family planning of Afghan immigrant women in the city of Mashhad.

McGinn's (2000) extensive review of literature on reproductive health of war affected populations showed a mixed response to childbearing among those affected by war. The published and unpublished studies indicated that fertility may increase or decrease as a result of forced migration in different communities and with different circumstances.