Reproductive Health in Individuals with Homozygous Beta-thalassemia: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior

Objective: To review the reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of persons with homozygous beta-thalassemia.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: Patients treated at a tertiary hospital and community-based healthy controls.

Participant(s): One hundred and thirty persons, 16 years of age or older, who had homozygous beta-thalassemia and were attending hospital for regular blood transfusion, and 99 demographically matched persons without thalassemia. ASSESSMENT TOOL: Reproductive health questionnaire.

Result(s): 104 (80%) persons with homozygous beta-thalassemia completed the questionnaire and were compared with 99 controls. Persons with homozygous beta-thalassemia were as likely as healthy peers to be in a relationship, employed full-time, sexually active, and using contraception and to have had children. Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism was present in 55 (52.8%) patients, 46 (83.6%) of whom were compliant with hormone replacement therapy. Understanding of genetics and reproductive potential was suboptimal among persons with homozygous beta-thalassemia, and this group had a higher rate of unplanned pregnancy.

Conclusion(s): This study suggests that with optimal therapy, most young adults with homozygous beta-thalassemia can achieve reproductive, sexual, and social experiences similar to those of their healthy peers.