Lifetime Induced Abortion: a Comparison Between Women Living and Not Living with HIV

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2014 Apr 23

PMID 24752119

Citations 11

Authors

Flavia Bulegon Pilecco

Luciana Barcellos Teixeira

Alvaro Vigo

Michael E Dewey

Daniela Riva Knauth

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Studies aimed at understanding the association between induced abortion and HIV are scarce and differ on the direction of the association. This paper aims to show the prevalence of induced abortion in a sample of pregnancies of women living and not living with HIV/Aids, determining variables associated with pregnancy termination and linked to the life course of women and to the specific context of the pregnancy.

Methods: Data came from a cross-sectional study, using interviewer-administered questionnaire, developed with women that attended public health services in Porto Alegre, Brazil. A generalized estimating equation model with logit link measured the association between determinants and abortion.

Findings: The final sample was composed of 684 women living with HIV/Aids (2,039 pregnancies) and 639 women not living with HIV/Aids (1,539 pregnancies). The prevalence of induced abortion among pregnancies in women living with HIV/Aids was 6.5%, while in women not living with HIV/Aids was 2.9%. Among women living with HIV/Aids, the following were associated with induced abortion in the multivariable analysis: being older, having a higher education level, having had more sexual partners (i.e., variables linked to the life course of women), having had children prior to the index pregnancy and living with a sexual partner during pregnancy (i.e., variables linked to the context of each pregnancy). On the other hand, among women not living with HIV/Aids, only having a higher education level and having had more sexual partners (i.e., determinants linked to the life course of women) were associated with voluntary pregnancy termination in multivariable analysis.

Conclusion: Although determinants are similar between women living and not living with HIV/Aids, prevalence of induced abortion is higher among pregnancies in women living with HIV/Aids, pointing to their greater social vulnerability and to the need for public policy to address prevention and treatment of HIV associated with reproductive issues.

Citing Articles

HIV and induced abortion among migrants from sub-Saharan Africa living in Île-de-France: Results of the PARCOURS study.

Pilecco F, Ravalihasy A, Guillaume A, du Lou A J Migr Health. 2024; 10:100237.

PMID: 38989051 PMC: 11233997. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100237.

Mobile solutions to Empower reproductive life planning for women living with HIV in Kenya (MWACh EMPOWER): Protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Ngumbau N, Unger J, Wandika B, Atieno C, Beima-Sofie K, Dettinger J PLoS One. 2024; 19(4):e0300642.

PMID: 38557692 PMC: 10984530. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300642.

Reproductive health syndemics impact retention in care among women living with HIV in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Zachek C, Coelho L, Clark J, Domingues R, Luz P, Friedman R Braz J Infect Dis. 2023; 27(4):102779.

PMID: 37230150 PMC: 10245108. DOI: 10.1016/j.bjid.2023.102779.

Phenomenology of Induced Abortion in Northern Uganda Among HIV-Positive Women Following an Unintended Pregnancy.

Kabunga A, Acanga A, Abal J, Nabasirye C, Namata H, Mwesigwa D Open Access J Contracept. 2023; 14:73-82.

PMID: 37101706 PMC: 10124552. DOI: 10.2147/OAJC.S407547.

Prevalence and correlates of induced abortion: results of a facility-based cross-sectional survey of parturient women living with HIV in South Africa.

Ajayi A, Ahinkorah B, Seidu A, Adeniyi O Reprod Health. 2022; 19(1):220.

PMID: 36471337 PMC: 9721078. DOI: 10.1186/s12978-022-01520-9.

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