Background Persons living with HIV often face discrimination in safe sex and reproductive choices, especially in lowresource settings. This study assessed fertility desires and intentions, risk perception and correlates of ever use of at least one safer conception method among HIV-infected women attending a tertiary health facility ...

INTRODUCTION Safer conception care encompasses HIV care, treatment and prevention for persons living with HIV and their partners who desire children. In 2012, South Africa endorsed a progressive safer conception policy supporting HIV-affected persons to safely meet reproductive goals. However, aside from select research-supported clinics, widespread implementation has not occurred. Using South ...

INTRODUCTION Safer conception strategies create opportunities for HIV-serodiscordant couples to realize fertility goals and minimize periconception HIV transmission. Patient-provider communication about fertility goals is the first step in safer conception counseling. METHODS We explored provider practices of assessing fertility intentions among HIV-infected men and women, attitudes toward pe...

Developing and testing safer conception methods that reduce HIV transmission to HIV-seronegative partners in serodiscordant couples and reduce superinfection in HIV-seroconcordant couples is a crucial but often unaddressed component of HIV prevention programs. Most research has focused on developed-world settings, where "high-technology" assisted reproduction techniques are used for HIV-serodis...

BACKGROUND There is limited understanding of health care providers' attitudes towards HIV-infected individuals' reproductive choices, as well as knowledge about safer conception. Our study objective was to explore provider-level factors that serve as barriers and/or facilitators to the provision of reproductive and safer conception services for men and women living with HIV. METHODS Twenty-fi...

INTRODUCTION Implementation of safer conception services for HIV-affected couples within primary healthcare clinics in resource-limited settings remains limited. We review service utilization and safer conception strategy uptake during the first three years of Sakh'umndeni, which is a safer conception clinic in South Africa. METHODS Sakh'umndeni is located at Witkoppen Health and Welfare Cent...

BACKGROUND Understanding HIV-infected patient experiences and perceptions of reproductive counseling in the health care context is critical to inform design of effective pharmaco-behavioral interventions that minimize periconception HIV risk and support HIV-affected couples to realize their fertility goals. METHODS We conducted semistructured, in-depth interviews with 30 HIV-infected women (w...

INTRODUCTION We explored acceptability and feasibility of safer conception methods among HIV-affected couples in Uganda. METHODS We recruited HIV-positive men and women on antiretroviral therapy (ART) ('index') from the Uganda Antiretroviral Rural Treatment Outcomes cohort who reported an HIV-negative or unknown-serostatus partner ('partner'), HIV-serostatus disclosure to partner, and persona...

INTRODUCTION Safer conception strategies (SCS) have the potential to decrease HIV transmission among HIV-discordant couples who desire children. Community perceptions of SCS may influence the scale-up and uptake of these services, but little is known about how communities will react to these strategies. Without community support for SCS, their success as an HIV prevention tool may be limited. T...

INTRODUCTION Safer conception interventions should ideally involve both members of an HIV-affected couple. With serodiscordant couples, healthcare providers will need to manage periconception risk behaviour as well tailor safer conception strategies according to available resources and the HIV status of each partner. Prior to widespread implementation of safer conception services, it is crucial...