Sexual Practices, Fertility Intentions, and Awareness to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV among Infected Pregnant Women at the Yaounde Central Hospital

INTRODUCTION:

The sexual and reproductive health of people living with HIV is fundamental for their well-being. Antiretroviral therapy and reproductive technologies have significantly improved quality of life of people living with HIV in developed countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, the epicenter of HIV, the sexual practices and fertility of women infected with HIV have been understudied.

AIM:

To assess the sexual behavior, fertility intentions, and awareness of preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in pregnant women with HIV-negative partners in Yaounde Central Hospital (Yaounde, Cameroon).

METHODS:

A cross-sectional survey using a semistructured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was conducted at the antenatal unit and HIV clinic in 2014.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Ninety-four pregnant women infected with HIV provided consistent information on (i) sociodemographic characteristics, (ii) sexual and fertility patterns, (iii) awareness of preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and (iv) their unmet needs.

RESULTS:

Although sexual desire had significantly changed since their HIV diagnosis, the women were highly sexually active. Approximately 19% of women had more than one sexual partner and 40% had regular unprotected sex during the 12-month period before the interviews (P < .0001). Twenty-nine percent of women preferred intermittent sexual intercourse and inconsistent condom use to delay pregnancy, but the abortion rate remained high. Age, marital status, and education affected women's awareness of mother-to-child transmission (P < .05); and no association existed between the number of living children and future pregnancies (r_s = -0.217; P = .036).

CONCLUSION:

HIV-infected women living with HIV-negative partners in Cameroon expressed high sexual and fertility intentions with several unmet needs, including safer sexual practices and conception. Incorporating and supporting safe sexual educational practices and conception services in maternal care can decrease risky sexual behavior and vertical transmission.

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/RE0oku

By:  Kuete M1, Yuan H2, He Q3, Tchoua Kemayou AL4, Ndognjem TP4, Yang F2, Hu Z2, Tian B2, Zhao K2, Zhang H2, Xiong C5.

• 1Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China; Yaounde Central Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Messa, Cameroon.
• 2Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
• 3Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
• 4Yaounde Central Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Messa, Cameroon.
• 5Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Electronic address: clxiong951@sina.com. 
• Sex Med. 2016 Mar 19. pii: S2050-1161(16)00031-3. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2016.01.004.

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health