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Fertility Intentions of HIV-1 Infected and Uninfected Women in Malawi: A Longitudinal Study

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Abstract

This study aimed to determine changes in fertility intentions of HIV-1 infected and uninfected reproductive age women in Blantyre, Malawi. Participants were asked about their fertility intentions at baseline and at 3-month visits for 1 year. Time-to-event statistical models were used to determine factors associated with changes in fertility intentions. Overall, 842 HIV uninfected and 844 HIV infected women were enrolled. The hazard of changing from wanting no more children at baseline to wanting more children at follow-up was 61% lower among HIV infected women compared to HIV uninfected women (P < 0.01) after adjusting for other factors, while HIV infected women were ~3 times more likely to change to wanting no more children. The overall pregnancy rate after 12 months was 14.9 per 100 person-years and did not differ among 102 HIV uninfected and 100 infected women who became pregnant. HIV infection is a significant predictor of fertility intentions over time.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the women who participated in this study, and the study staff of the College of Medicine-Johns Hopkins University Research Project in Blantyre, Malawi. This study received funding support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.

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Correspondence to Taha E. Taha.

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Taha E. Taha, Newton Kumwenda and Amy Tsui conceptualized the study, participated in conduct and analysis of the study, critical interpretation of findings, and writing of the manuscript; Frank Taulo, Bonus Makanani, George Kafulafula, Johnstone Kumwenda and Chiwawa Nkhoma participated in conduct of the study, interpretation of findings and writing of the manuscript; Mark Berry and Qing Li conducted the data analyses, participated in interpretation of findings and writing of the manuscript.

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Taulo, F., Berry, M., Tsui, A. et al. Fertility Intentions of HIV-1 Infected and Uninfected Women in Malawi: A Longitudinal Study. AIDS Behav 13 (Suppl 1), 20–27 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-009-9547-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-009-9547-9

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