Resources

For women living with HIV not wanting to become pregnant or wanting to delay pregnancy, contraception has the added public health benefit of reducing the number of infants who might acquire HIV. The unmet need for contraception must be addressed to prevent unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women and consequently mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This study assesses contraceptive usage and its determinants to identify the unmet need for family planning amongst HIV-positive women.  Most women who participated in this survey were married and illiterate (34.4%). The most common family planning method used was found to be male condoms. Not having HIV-positive children, HIV-negative partner, and discussing contraception with partner were observed to be significant predictors of consistent contraceptive use . This study concludes that there is a need to boost family planning counseling and address the unmet need and contraceptive use among HIV-infected women. It is a useful study for program implementers. Click here to read the study.