Abstract
OBJECTIVESWith access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are able to consider childbearing to a greater extent than previously. In many cases, ART has transformed their intentions to have children. The present study aimed to assess changes in fertility intentions 12 months after ART initiation among HIV-positive women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.METHODSAn institution-based follow-up study was conducted among 360 HIV-positive women in Addis Ababa. A logistic regression model was used to assess the influence of socio-demographic, reproductive health, and clinical characteristics on changes in the fertility intentions of women.RESULTSOverall, 40.8% (147 of 360) of the women reported that they desired to have a child in the future at the baseline visit, while 48.3% (174 of 360) did so at the 12-month follow-up. The proportion of women who reported that they desired to have a child 12 months after ART initiation was higher among ART-initiated women (55.8%, 106 of 190) than ART-naïve women (40.0%, 68 of 170). The adjusted analysis indicated that a change in fertility intentions between baseline and the follow-up visit was significantly associated with ART use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20 to 5.20) and marital status, with single (aOR, 5.33; 95% CI, 1.10 to 25.92) and married (aOR, 6.35; 95% CI, 1.44 to 27.99) women being more likely to report fertility intentions than divorced/widowed women.CONCLUSIONSART use was a significant predictor of change in fertility intentions between the baseline and follow-up visit, which suggests that additional efforts are necessary to integrate family planning and HIV services to address the safe fertility goals of women in the study area.
Highlights
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most severely affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [1]
All these findings indicate that antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV-positive women’s physical state, and transformed mostly what had been desire into intention [24]
124,983 people living with HIV have been enrolled in Addis Ababa, of whom 76,035 have started ART and 54,667 are currently on ART [4]
Summary
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most severely affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [1]. Women of reproductive age account for 58.0% of people living with HIV [2] and 53.0% of all adult deaths [3]. In Ethiopia, more women (2.9%) than men (1.9%) are living with HIV [4]. Most of these women are vulnerable to HIV due to the complex burdens they face, including physiological and social vulnerability and gender inequalities [3,5]. Since these infected women are of childbearing age [4], they risk infecting their children, and face difficult choices about childbearing
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
