Reproductive desire among women living with HIV/AIDS in Central Brazil: Prevalence and associated factors.

Marise Ramos De Souza,Sandra Maria Brunini,Waldemar Naves Do Amaral,Rafael Alves Guimarães,Giovanni Rezza,Massimo Ciccozzi

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0186267

Marise Ramos De Souza, Sandra Maria Brunini + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186267

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Abstract

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and examine the factors associated with reproductive desire among women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHA) in Central Brazil.MethodsA cross-sectional study involving 274 WLWHA, aged 18 to 49 years, was conducted with the support of treatment services and non-governmental organizations that assist people living with HIV/AIDS. Data regarding sociodemographic characteristics, substance use, sexual behavior, and reproductive variables were collected through interviews. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to analyze the factors associated with reproductive desire.ResultsThe prevalence of reproductive desire was 25.9% (95.0% confidence interval [CI]: 21.1–31.4%). This outcome was associated with age < 30 years (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR]: 2.93; p < 0.001), black skin color or race (APR: 2.28; p = 0.017), partner's reproductive desire (APR: 7.55; p < 0.001), absence of children (APR: 2.13; p = 0.003), history of abortion (APR: 1.65; p = 0.045) and undetectable viral load at the time of data collection (APR: 1.92; p = 0.043).ConclusionThe prevalence of reproductive desire among WLWHA was relatively high. It is necessary to include fertility issues as part of assistance and counseling for women in referral services to support them with their feelings, goals, and needs regarding reproductive choices.

Highlights

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections continue to present alarming numbers worldwide, despite advances in preventive measures and antiretroviral therapy (ART)
The prevalence of reproductive desire was 25.9% (95.0% confidence interval [CI]: 21.1– 31.4%). This outcome was associated with age < 30 years, black skin color or race (APR: 2.28; p = 0.017), partner’s reproductive desire (APR: 7.55; p < 0.001), absence of children (APR: 2.13; p = 0.003), history of abortion (APR: 1.65; p = 0.045) and undetectable viral load at the time of data collection (APR: 1.92; p = 0.043)
It is necessary to include fertility issues as part of assistance and counseling for women in referral services to support them with their feelings, goals, and needs regarding reproductive choices

Summary

Introduction

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections continue to present alarming numbers worldwide, despite advances in preventive measures and antiretroviral therapy (ART). It is estimated that there are 36.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) worldwide (17.8 million women). It is estimated that 2.1 million new HIV infections occurred in 2015 at the global level [1]. HIV prevalence in Brazil is estimated to be between 0.4–0.7% among individuals aged 15–49 years [3]. In 2015, 32,321 new cases of HIV infection were reported in Brazil. The distribution of these cases was 22,672 men and 9,639 women (sex ratio of 2.4:1). The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and examine the factors associated with reproductive desire among women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHA) in Central Brazil

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