Acceptability and feasibility of screening pregnant women for sexually transmitted infections in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Ameen E ChaudryRizwana ChaudhriAasia KayaniLamar W HayesClaire C BristowKiran JavaidNimra KhanSana AkhlaqueBushra YasmeenJeffrey D KlausnerPublished in: International journal of STD & AIDS (2021)
Objectives: To understand the acceptability and feasibility of sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing during antenatal care, along with the prevalence of STIs, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Methods: We enrolled pregnant women seeking antenatal care and performed STI testing using Cepheid GeneXpert® CT/NG and TV kits and Alere Determine™ HIV and syphilis tests. We used interviewer-administered surveys to collect medical, social, and sexual histories. Participants testing positive for STIs and their partners were treated. Results: We enrolled 1001 women from September to December 2019. Nearly all women offered to participate in this study enrolled. Most women understood the effects an STI can have on their pregnancy (99.6%) and valued STI screening during pregnancy (98.1%). 11 women tested positive for any STI: (Chlamydia trachomatis = 4, Neisseria gonorrhoeae = 1, and Trichomonas vaginalis = 6). Of those, six presented for a test-of-cure, and two were positive for Trichomonas vaginalis. None tested positive for HIV infection or syphilis (n = 503). Conclusions: STI testing during antenatal care in Rawalpindi was acceptable, valued, understood, and feasible. The prevalence of STIs in pregnant women was low. Continued prevalence monitoring is warranted.
Keyphrases
- pregnant women
- men who have sex with men
- pregnancy outcomes
- hiv testing
- hiv positive
- healthcare
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- palliative care
- risk factors
- human immunodeficiency virus
- mental health
- quality improvement
- preterm birth
- cervical cancer screening
- pain management
- computed tomography
- insulin resistance
- metabolic syndrome
- cross sectional
- positron emission tomography
- type diabetes
- contrast enhanced
- magnetic resonance imaging
- hepatitis c virus
- image quality