The Pregnancy Intentions of HIV-positive Women
The Program on International Health and Human Rights of the Harvard School of Public Health has recently published a report on a conference titled "The pregnancy intentions of HIV-Positive women: Forwarding the research agenda"
The face of the global HIV epidemic has changed over the past decadeand increasingly is becoming the face of a woman living in the midst ofher childbearing years. Today, women represent nearly half of the 38.6million people living with HIV.
To date, research on HIV andpregnancy has generally assumed that women living in resource-limitedsettings who are HIV-positive will no longer want to bear children.However, with the dramatic increase in access to antiretroviraltreatment (ART), greater numbers of HIV-positive women are livinglonger, healthier lives. In addition, increased access to ART hascontributed to a substantial reduction in mother-to-child transmissionin these settings.
The desire of many HIV-positive women topursue options for having children presents a clear and urgent need formore research into this area, with the ultimate goal of putting womenat the center of decision-making on their sexual and reproductivehealth and rights.
Pregnancy Intentions Conference and Report:
Aconference was convened in March 2010 at the Harvard School of PublicHealth in Boston, Massachusetts, to identify gaps in knowledge,stimulate research and create comprehensive solutions. It was one ofthe first to convene representatives from across disciplines andexperience, with participants from diverse country contexts engaged ina range of HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health work.
“ThePregnancy Intentions of HIV-Positive Women: Forwarding the ResearchAgenda,” documents current knowledge and recommendations for movingforward in the following areas: desired pregnancy for HIV-positivewomen; HIV-positive women seeking to prevent pregnancy; safer pregnancyfor HIV-positive women; and pregnancy termination for HIV-positivewomen. The report identifies points of consensus and points ofdeparture amongst participants, and highlights suggestions foradvocates, health professionals, program implementers and policy makers.