Factors associated with post-diagnosis pregnancies in women living with HIV in the south of Brazil

PLoS One. 2017 Feb 21;12(2):e0172514. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172514. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Objectives: To analyze the factors associated with the occurrence of pregnancies after the diagnosis of infection by HIV.

Methods: Cross-sectional study with women of a reproductive age living with HIV/AIDS cared for in the public services of the city of Porto Alegre, in southern Brazil. The data was analyzed from a comparison between two groups: women with and women without pregnancies after the diagnosis of HIV. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the reasons of prevalence (RP).

Results: The occurrence of pregnancies after the diagnosis of HIV is associated with a lower level of education (RP adjusted = 1.31; IC95%: 1.03-1.66), non-use of condoms in the first sexual intercourse (RP = 1.32; IC95%: 1.02-1.70), being 20 years old or less when diagnosed with HIV (RP = 3.48; IC95%: 2.02-6.01), and experience of violence related to the diagnosis of HIV (RP = 1.28; IC95%: 1.06-1.56).

Conclusions: The occurrence of pregnancies after the diagnosis of infection by HIV does not indicate the exercise of the reproductive rights of the women living with HIV/AIDS because these pregnancies occurred in contexts of great vulnerability.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Condoms / statistics & numerical data
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Decision Making
  • Female
  • Freedom
  • HIV Infections / diagnosis
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology*
  • HIV Infections / psychology
  • HIV Infections / transmission
  • Humans
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / prevention & control
  • Intimate Partner Violence
  • Middle Aged
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / epidemiology*
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / psychology
  • Pregnancy, Unplanned
  • Pregnancy, Unwanted
  • Reproductive History
  • Risk-Taking
  • Sex Work
  • Social Determinants of Health
  • Sterilization, Tubal / psychology
  • Substance Abuse, Intravenous / epidemiology
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

The project that originated data analyzed in this paper was fully funded by National Scientific and Technological Development Council (CNPq) (Process MCT/CNPq number 14/2009 — Universal). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.