Contraceptive measures and HIV transmission protection among women with HIV/AIDS

• Autor(a) principal: Galvão, Marli T Gimeniz
• Data de Publicação: 2004
• Outros Autores: Cerqueira, Ana Teresa de Abreu Ramos, Marcondes-Machado, Jussara
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Revista de Saúde Pública
• Texto Completo: https://www.revistas.usp.br/rsp/article/view/31701
• topic: Sex behavior; Contraception; Women; Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome^i2^stransmiss; HIV infections^i2^stransmiss; Comportamento sexual; Anticoncepção; Síndrome de imunodeficiênciaadquirida^i1^stransmis; Infecções por HIV^i1^stransmis; Mulheres; Saúde da mulher; Fatores socioeconômicos; Educação em saúde

OBJECTIVE: Sexual intercourse is currently the route of transmission among women that has most contributed to the feminization of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As an ongoing effort to establish more appropriate standards for health counseling, the study's purpose was to investigate the use of contraceptive methods that would also prevent HIV/AIDS women against disease transmission. METHODS: An exploratory study was developed in an outpatient clinic of a public university hospital, a reference center of HIV/AIDS patients in the mid-south region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, during a 5-month-period (2000 and 2001). The study was carried out in 73 HIV/AIDS women. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire exploring subjects' sociodemographics, contraception method used and HIV status of their sex partners. A descriptive data analysis was performed and the contents of open answers were grouped into themes. Fischer's exact test was applied for analyzing some variables at a 5% significance level. Content analysis was carried out according to Bardin's proposal.² RESULTS: Most women at reproductive age were married and had been infected almost exclusively through heterosexual contact. Of them, 35.4% reported having an HIV discordant partner and 13.7% used inadequate contraceptive methods that failed to protect them against HIV transmission. CONCLUSIONS: The study results call for the need of continuous education on safer sex among HIV/AIDS women to empower them to discuss with their partners alternative options of exercising their sexuality and to raise awareness on their contraceptive choices in a way to protect their own health, their partner's and even their unborn offspring's health.