Uptake and Persistence of Safer Conception Strategies Among South African Women Planning for Pregnancy.
Oluwaseyi O IsehunwaManjeetha JaggernathYolandie KrielChristina PsarosMxolisi MathenjwaKathleen E HurwitzKara BennettPatricia M SmithDavid R BangsbergJeanne M MarrazzoJessica E HabererJennifer A SmitLynn T MatthewsPublished in: AIDS and behavior (2024)
Safer conception strategies can minimize HIV acquisition during periconception periods among women living in HIV-endemic areas. We examined uptake and predictors of persistent use of the same safer conception strategy among a cohort of HIV-uninfected South African women ages 18-35 years planning for pregnancy with a partner living with HIV or of unknown HIV-serostatus. The safer conception strategies we evaluated included oral PrEP, condomless sex limited to peak fertility, and waiting for a better time to have a child (until, for example, the risks of HIV acquisition are reduced and/or the individual is prepared to care for a child); persistence was defined as using the same safer conception strategy from the first visit through 9 months follow-up. Modified Poisson regression models were used to examine predictors of persistent use of the same strategy. The average age of 227 women in our cohort was 24.6 (range: 18.0, 35.7) years. In this cohort, 121 (74.2%) women reported persisting in the same strategy through 9 months. Employment and HIV knowledge were associated with the persistent use of any strategy. Our results highlight the need to provide safer conception services to women exposed to HIV during periconception periods. Findings also offer some insights into factors that might influence persistent use. Further research is needed to better understand how to involve male partners and how their involvement might influence women's consistent use of safer conception strategies during periconception periods.
Keyphrases
- hiv testing
- antiretroviral therapy
- men who have sex with men
- hiv positive
- hiv infected
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- human immunodeficiency virus
- pregnancy outcomes
- hepatitis c virus
- hiv aids
- cervical cancer screening
- south africa
- mental health
- breast cancer risk
- pregnant women
- palliative care
- metabolic syndrome
- risk assessment
- chronic pain
- climate change
- adipose tissue
- quality improvement