Relative patterns of sexual activity and fertility among HIV positive and negative women-Evidence from 46 DHS.

<h4>Objectives</h4>Projections of fertility of HIV positive women as ART scales up are needed to plan prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. We describe differences in exposure to pregnancy between HIV positive and HIV negative women by age, region and national ART...

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Main Authors: Milly Marston, Basia Zaba, Jeffrey W Eaton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2018-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204584
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author Milly Marston
Basia Zaba
Jeffrey W Eaton
author_facet Milly Marston
Basia Zaba
Jeffrey W Eaton
author_sort Milly Marston
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Objectives</h4>Projections of fertility of HIV positive women as ART scales up are needed to plan prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. We describe differences in exposure to pregnancy between HIV positive and HIV negative women by age, region and national ART coverage to evaluate the extent to which behavioural differences explain lower fertility among HIV positive women and assess whether exposure to pregnancy has changed with antiretroviral treatment (ART) scale-up.<h4>Methods</h4>We analysed 46 nationally representative household surveys in sub-Saharan Africa conducted between 2003 and 2015 to estimate risk of exposure to recent sex and pregnancy of HIV positive and HIV negative women by age using a log binomial model. We tested for regional and urban/rural differences and associations with national ART coverage. We estimated an adjusted fertility rate ratio of HIV positive to HIV negative women adjusting for differences in exposure to pregnancy.<h4>Results</h4>Exposure to pregnancy differs significantly between HIV positive and negative women by age, modified by region. Younger HIV positive women have a higher exposure to pregnancy than HIV negative women and the opposite is true at older ages. The switch occurs at 25-29 for rural women and 30-34 for urban women. There was no evidence that exposure to pregnancy of HIV positive women have changed as national ART coverage increased. The inferred rate of fecundity of HIV positive women when adjusted for differences in exposure to pregnancy were lower than unadjusted fertility rate ratios in women aged 20-29 and 20-24 in urban and rural areas respectively varying between 0.6 and 0.9 over regions.<h4>Discussion</h4>The direct effects of HIV on fertility are broadly similar across ages, while the dramatic age gradient that has frequently been observed is largely attributable to variation in relative sexual exposure by age.
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spelling doaj.art-24f0c12a023549a1b396f246039fb4de2022-12-21T17:16:26ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032018-01-011310e020458410.1371/journal.pone.0204584Relative patterns of sexual activity and fertility among HIV positive and negative women-Evidence from 46 DHS.Milly MarstonBasia ZabaJeffrey W Eaton<h4>Objectives</h4>Projections of fertility of HIV positive women as ART scales up are needed to plan prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. We describe differences in exposure to pregnancy between HIV positive and HIV negative women by age, region and national ART coverage to evaluate the extent to which behavioural differences explain lower fertility among HIV positive women and assess whether exposure to pregnancy has changed with antiretroviral treatment (ART) scale-up.<h4>Methods</h4>We analysed 46 nationally representative household surveys in sub-Saharan Africa conducted between 2003 and 2015 to estimate risk of exposure to recent sex and pregnancy of HIV positive and HIV negative women by age using a log binomial model. We tested for regional and urban/rural differences and associations with national ART coverage. We estimated an adjusted fertility rate ratio of HIV positive to HIV negative women adjusting for differences in exposure to pregnancy.<h4>Results</h4>Exposure to pregnancy differs significantly between HIV positive and negative women by age, modified by region. Younger HIV positive women have a higher exposure to pregnancy than HIV negative women and the opposite is true at older ages. The switch occurs at 25-29 for rural women and 30-34 for urban women. There was no evidence that exposure to pregnancy of HIV positive women have changed as national ART coverage increased. The inferred rate of fecundity of HIV positive women when adjusted for differences in exposure to pregnancy were lower than unadjusted fertility rate ratios in women aged 20-29 and 20-24 in urban and rural areas respectively varying between 0.6 and 0.9 over regions.<h4>Discussion</h4>The direct effects of HIV on fertility are broadly similar across ages, while the dramatic age gradient that has frequently been observed is largely attributable to variation in relative sexual exposure by age.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204584
spellingShingle Milly Marston
Basia Zaba
Jeffrey W Eaton
Relative patterns of sexual activity and fertility among HIV positive and negative women-Evidence from 46 DHS.
PLoS ONE
title Relative patterns of sexual activity and fertility among HIV positive and negative women-Evidence from 46 DHS.
title_full Relative patterns of sexual activity and fertility among HIV positive and negative women-Evidence from 46 DHS.
title_fullStr Relative patterns of sexual activity and fertility among HIV positive and negative women-Evidence from 46 DHS.
title_full_unstemmed Relative patterns of sexual activity and fertility among HIV positive and negative women-Evidence from 46 DHS.
title_short Relative patterns of sexual activity and fertility among HIV positive and negative women-Evidence from 46 DHS.
title_sort relative patterns of sexual activity and fertility among hiv positive and negative women evidence from 46 dhs
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204584
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