Induced abortion among HIV-positive women in Northern Vietnam: exploring reproductive dilemmas

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

Introduction

HIV heavily affects sub-Saharan African women living in France and can impact reproductive decisions. It was investigated whether HIV was associated with induced abortion in pregnancies held after migration by women from sub-Saharan Africa living in Île-de-France.

Methods

We used data on ANRS Parcours, a retrospective life event survey conducted in health facilities in the metropolitan region of Paris, between February 2012 and May 2013, with migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Data on the history of pregnancies were collected among women living with HIV (HIV group) and those attending primary care centers (reference group). We investigated 242 women in the reference group, who had 729 pregnancies, and the 277 women in the HIV group, who had 580 pregnancies. The association between abortion and HIV was evaluated using clustered logistic models, successively adjusted for women and pregnancy characteristics, for the whole sample, and stratified by pregnancy intendedness.

Results

In the reference group, 11.0 % of pregnancies were terminated in abortion, the same situation as 14.1 % in the HIV group (p = 0.124). HIV was not associated with abortion in the crude and adjusted models. However, after adjustments, HIV exhibited a non-significant trend towards reducing the likelihood of abortion, particularly when considering the intendedness of pregnancy variable.

Conclusions

Factors that shape the overall context of women's lives and pregnancies, which are shared with the reference group, may have a more significant impact on reproductive decision-making than HIV alone. Health services must pay attention to the intendedness of pregnancies, providing advice and support on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission to women living with HIV who intend to become pregnant, in addition to strengthening the provision of family planning and the prevention of unintended pregnancies.

Unraveling reproductive and maternal health challenges of women living with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) remains a significant public health concern worldwide. Women living with HIV/AIDS (WLHA) have the additional and unique need to seek sexual and reproductive health services. WLHA's maternal health journeys can be shaped by the cultural norms and resources that exist in their society. This study sought to understand if and how WLHA's family planning, pregnancy, and motherhood experiences could be influenced by the patriarchal culture, gender roles, and HIV stigma in Vietnam, specifically.

METHODS

Between December 2021 and March 2022, 30 WLHA with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and childbirth experiences were interviewed in Hanoi, Vietnam. These semi-structured interviews covered topics including HIV stigma, gender norms, pregnancy experiences, and child-rearing challenges. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analysed using ATLAS.ti.

RESULTS

Qualitative analyses of participant quotes revealed how limited information on one's health prospects and reproductive options posed a significant challenge to family planning. Societal and familial expectations as well as economic circumstances also influenced reproductive decision-making. WLHA often encountered substandard healthcare during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Stigma and lack of provider attentiveness resulted in cases where women were denied pain relief and other medical services. Communication breakdowns resulted in failure to administer antiretroviral therapy for newborns. Motherhood for WLHA was shadowed by concerns for not only their own health, but also the wellbeing of their children, as HIV stigma affected their children at school and in society as well. Many WLHA highlighted the constructive or destructive role that family members could play in their childbirth decision-making and care-giving experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this study underscores the complex ways that cultural expectations, family support, and stigma in healthcare impact WLHA. Efforts to educate and engage families and healthcare providers are warranted to better understand and address the needs of WLHA, ultimately improving their reproductive and maternal health.

HIV-related challenges and women's self-response: A qualitative study with women living with HIV in Indonesia

HIV infection is a major public health concern, with a range of negative impacts on People Living with HIV (PLHIV). A qualitative study in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, using in-depth interviews with 26 Women Living with HIV (WLHIV) was conducted to understand HIV risk factors and impact and their access to HIV care services. This paper describes the self-response of WLHIV towards negative HIV-related experiences facing them and adds to the existing literature which tends to focus on HIV impact only, as opposed to strategies that many WLHIV have used to empower and educate themselves and their family/community. Participants were recruited using the snowball sampling technique. Data analysis was guided by a qualitative data analysis framework. Our study highlighted that WLHIV experienced psychological challenges, stigma and discrimination. However, they demonstrated remarkable self-response and capacity in pursuing effective strategies and support to protect themselves, and educating themselves and others around them to rebuild trust and regain respect and acceptance. Our findings indicate that the needs of WLHIV should be addressed through policy and practice to help them cope with HIV-related psychological and social challenges effectively. Family and community members seem to play an important role in those negative challenges against WLHIV, thus there is also a need for HIV education programs for family and community members to enhance their HIV-health literacy and acceptance of PLHIV.

Mental Health Challenges and the Associated Factors in Women Living with HIV Who Have Children Living with HIV in Indonesia: A Qualitative Study

Women living with HIV (WLHIV) are vulnerable to various mental health challenges. However, there is a paucity of studies globally and in the Indonesian context that have specifically explored mental health challenges among mothers living with HIV who also have children living with HIV (CLHIV). This qualitative study explored mental health challenges and the associated factors in mothers living with HIV who have CLHIV in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In-depth interviews were employed to collect data from the participants (N = 23) who were recruited using the snowball sampling technique. A qualitative data analysis framework was used to guide the analysis of the findings. The findings showed that the mothers experienced a range of mental health issues due to their own, and their child’s diagnoses of stress, depression, anxiety, fear, sadness, and guilt. Lack of knowledge about HIV, fear of death, shame, not knowing whom to talk with and what to do after their own HIV diagnosis, and the HIV diagnosis of their children were factors that challenged their mental health. Difficulties in dealing with daily life or social activities of their CLHIV, dilemmas in addressing questions and complaints of their CLHIV about HIV treatment, and concerns about the health condition of their CLHIV and how their children cope with any potential negative social impacts also impacted the mothers’ mental health. Social factors such as unsympathetic expressions from friends towards them and their CLHIV and negatively worded religious-related advice from parents and relatives also contributed to their poor mental health. Our findings indicate the need for intervention programs that support mothers living with HIV and their CLHIV. Future large-scale studies involving mothers living with HIV who have CLHIV in Indonesia and other settings globally are needed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of mental health challenges and the associated factors they face.

Psychological and Social Impact of HIV on Women Living with HIV and Their Families in Low- and Middle-Income Asian Countries: A Systematic Search and Critical Review

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection adds a significant burden to women in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), often leading to severe detrimental impact, not only on themselves, but also on their families and communities. Given that more than half of all people living with HIV globally are females (53%), this review seeks to understand the psychological and social impact of HIV infection on Women Living with HIV (WLHIV) and their families in LMICs in Asia, and the interrelationships between one impact and another. A systematic review was conducted to find literature using the following databases: Medline, PsycINFO, CINAL, Emcare, Scopus and ProQuest. Research articles included in this review were selected based on the following inclusion criteria: conducted in LMICs in Asia, published in English language between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2021, had full text available, involved WLHIV (married and unmarried) and explored the psychological and social impacts of HIV on these women and their families. Critical appraisal tools developed by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) were used to assess the methodological quality of the studies, and thematic narrative synthesis was used to analyse the findings. A total of 17 articles met the inclusion criteria. The review showed that HIV has a range of negative psychological consequences on WLHIV, such as stress, fear, worry, anxiety and depression, as well as social impacts on the women and their families, including stigma, discrimination and family separation. The findings indicate the need for targeted interventions-specific to WLHIV-that address the psychological challenges, stigma and discrimination these women and their families face. These interventions should also incorporate education and sustainable support structures for WLHIV and their families.

Meaning-making as a coping strategy among transgender women living with HIV in Indonesia

This study aimed to understand how transgender women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cope psychologically with the infection. A qualitative inquiry was conducted with 29 participants in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Data analysis was guided by the framework analysis for qualitative research. The findings indicated that acceptance of HIV status by an individual was related to the person's awareness of personal behaviours leading to HIV acquisition. This meaning-making, "a psychological process" helped their attitudes towards thinking positively about life, stopped self-blaming and acted as a mechanism to cope with the challenging circumstances related to HIV infection. Participants' awareness of the importance of friends and families who cared and loved them, the responsibility they had for their families and the willingness to contribute meaningfully to other people living with HIV (PLHIV) were additional supportive attributes that contributed to participants' coping with the HIV stressful situations. The processes of finding the meaning supported participants' commitment to undergo HIV treatment and being involved in activities for self-help, while helping other PLHIV to cope with their situations. The findings indicate the need for sustained counselling to help PLHIV to find positive meanings out of their condition.

Decision-making preceding induced abortion: a qualitative study of women's experiences in Kisumu, Kenya

Background

Unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions are prevalent in regions where women and adolescent girls have unmet contraceptive needs. Globally, about 25 million unsafe abortions take place every year. In countries with restrictive abortion laws, safe abortion care is not always accessible. In Kenya, the high unwanted pregnancy rate resulting in unsafe abortions is a serious public health issue. Gaps exist in knowledge regarding women’s decision-making processes in relation to induced abortions in Kenya. Decision-making is a fundamental factor for consideration when planning and implementing contraceptive services. This study explored decision-making processes preceding induced abortion among women with unwanted pregnancy in Kisumu, Kenya.

Methods

Individual face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with nine women aged 19–32 years old. Women who had experienced induced abortion were recruited after receiving post-abortion care at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) or Kisumu East District Hospital (KDH) in Kisumu, Kenya. In total, 15 in-depth interviews using open-ended questions were conducted. All interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and coded manually using inductive content analysis.

Results

Respondents described their own experiences regarding decision-making preceding induced abortion. This study shows that the main reasons for induced abortion were socio-economic stress and a lack of support from the male partner. In addition, deviance from family expectations and gender-based norms highly influenced the decision to have an abortion among the interviewed women. The principal decision maker was often the male partner who pressed for the termination of the pregnancy indirectly by declining his financial or social responsibilities or directly by demanding termination. In some cases, the male partner controlled decision-making by arranging an unsafe abortion without the woman’s consent. Strategic choices regarding whom to confide in were employed as protection against abortion stigma. This contributed to a culture of silence around abortion and unwanted pregnancy, a factor that made women more vulnerable to complications.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that financial, social and gender-based dependencies influence women’s agency and perceived options in decision-making regarding abortion.

Contemplating abortion: HIV-positive women's decision to terminate pregnancy

Research on pregnancy termination largely assumes HIV status is the only reason why HIV-positive women contemplate abortion. As antiretroviral treatment (ART) becomes increasingly available and women are living longer, healthier lives, the time has come to consider the influence of other factors on HIV-positive women's reproductive decision-making. Because ART has been free and universally available to Brazilians for more than two decades, Brazil provides a unique context in which to explore these issues. A total of 25 semi-structured interviews exploring women's pregnancy termination decision-making were conducted with women receiving care at the Reference Centre for HIV/AIDS in Salvador, Brazil. Interviews were transcribed, translated into English and coded for analysis. HIV played different roles in women's decision-making. In all, 13 HIV-positive women did not consider terminating their pregnancy. Influential factors described by those who did consider terminating their pregnancy included fear of HIV transmission, fear of HIV-related stigma, family size, economic constraints, partner and provider influence, as well as lack of access to pregnancy termination services and abortifacients. For some HIV-positive women in Brazil, HIV can be the only reason to consider terminating a pregnancy, but other factors are significant. A thorough understanding of all variables affecting reproductive decision-making is necessary for enhancing services and policies and better meeting the needs and rights of HIV-positive women.

HIV, unwanted pregnancy and abortion--where is the human rights approach?

The HIV/AIDS field is addressing how legal and policy restrictions affect access to health promotion and care, e.g., in relation to criminalization of HIV transmission, drug use and sex work. Work to address the reproductive rights of women living with HIV, particularly regarding unwanted pregnancy and abortion, has nevertheless lagged behind, despite its potential to contribute to broader advocacy for access to comprehensive reproductive health information and services for all women. It is in that context that this paper examines abortion in relation to the rights of women and girls living with HIV. The paper first presents findings from recent research on HIV-positive women's reasons for seeking abortions and experiences with abortion-related care. This is followed by a discussion of abortion in relation to human rights and how this has been both addressed and neglected in policy and guidance related to the reproductive health of women living with HIV. The concluding remarks offer recommendations for expanding efforts to provide comprehensive, human rights-based sexual and reproductive health care to women living with HIV by including abortion-related information and services.

The pregnancy decisions of HIV-positive women: the state of knowledge and way forward

Despite the growing number of women living with and affected by HIV, there is still insufficient attention to their pregnancy-related needs, rights, decisions and desires in research, policy and programs. We carried out a review of the literature to ascertain the current state of knowledge and highlight areas requiring further attention. We found that contraceptive options for pregnancy prevention by HIV-positive women are insufficient: condoms are not always available or acceptable, and other options are limited by affordability, availability or efficacy. Further, coerced sterilization of women living with HIV is widely reported. Information gaps persist in relation to effectiveness, safety and best practices regarding assisted reproductive technologies. Attention to neonatal outcomes generally outweighs attention to the health of women before, during and after pregnancy. Access to safe abortion and post-abortion care services, which are critical to women's ability to fulfill their sexual and reproductive rights, are often curtailed. There is inadequate attention to HIV-positive sex workers, injecting drug users and adolescents. The many challenges that women living with HIV encounter in their interactions with sexual and reproductive health services shape their pregnancy decisions. It is critical that HIV-positive women be more involved in the design and implementation of research, policies and programs related to their pregnancy-related needs and rights.

Bolstering the Evidence Base for Integrating Abortion and HIV Care: A Literature Review

HIV-positive women have abortions at similar rates to their HIV-negative counterparts, yet little is known about clinical outcomes of abortion for HIV-positive women or the best practices for abortion provision. To fill that gap, we conducted a literature review of clinical outcomes of surgical and medication abortion among HIV-positive women. We identified three studies on clinical outcomes of surgical abortion among HIV-positive women; none showed significant differences in infectious complications by HIV status. A review of seven articles on similar gynecological procedures found no differences in complications by HIV status. No studies evaluated medication abortion among HIV-positive women. However, we did find that previously expressed concerns regarding blood loss and vomiting related to medication abortion for HIV-positive women are unwarranted based on our review of data showing that significant blood loss and vomiting are rare and short lived among women. We conclude that although there is limited research that addresses clinical outcomes of abortion for HIV-positive women, existing data suggest that medication and surgical abortion are safe and appropriate. Sexual and reproductive health and HIV integration efforts must include both options to prevent maternal mortality and morbidity and to ensure that HIV-positive women and women at risk of HIV can make informed reproductive decisions.

Meeting the Contraceptive Needs of Key Populations Affected by HIV in Asia: An Unfinished Agenda

Like all women, women living with and at risk of acquiring HIV have the right to determine the number and timing of their pregnancies and to safely achieve their reproductive intentions. Yet, many women in Asia affected by HIV lack access to family planning services and experience disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion. Programs that have succeeded in promoting condom use and providing HIV prevention and treatment services in this region have largely missed the opportunity to address the contraceptive needs of the key populations they serve. The importance of better linkages between family planning and HIV policies and programs is now widely recognized by global health policymakers and donors. However, to date, most of the efforts to improve these linkages have been conducted in Africa. Greater attention is needed to the developing, implementing, and evaluating of integrated family planning/HIV approaches that are tailored to the political, cultural, and public health context in Asia. In this paper, we describe the use of and need for family planning among key populations affected by HIV in Asia, discuss the challenges to effectively addressing of these needs, and offer recommendations for strengthening the linkages between family planning and HIV policies and programs in the region.

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission--precarious hopes and childbearing choices among HIV-infected women in a northern province of Vietnam

The world over, increased access to treatment brings reproductive hope to women infected with HIV. Yet, despite the expanding availability of programs for prevention of mother-to-child transmission, HIV-positive women continue to face numerous problems and uncertainties in the realm of reproduction. The results reported here are derived from ethnographic research conducted in a northern province of Vietnam in 2007. The authors interviewed 32 HIV-positive women, exploring the hopes that they invested in prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and examining how this new technology enhanced the women's faith in their futures and childbearing capacities. Based on the findings, the authors discuss the new forms of gendered uncertainty that arise in the era of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam. They conclude that prevention of mother-to-child transmission, including the counseling offered by health providers, plays an important role in building and strengthening reproductive hopes for women living with HIV, while also generating new concerns.

Married men's first time experiences of early childbearing and their role in sexual and reproductive decision making: a qualitative study from rural Vietnam

Male partners' involvement in women's sexual and reproductive health has been increasingly emphasised in international health. A qualitative approach with open-ended qualitative interviews was used to explore young, married men's first time experiences of early childbearing, their sexual and reproductive decision making and the meanings they make of their role as husbands and fathers. The results offer a nuanced picture of the men's vulnerability in becoming young fathers and having to assume their role as family decision-makers, while still being inexperienced in matters related to the health of their wives and newborn child. Constraints to gender equality and traditional norms and values continue to pose barriers to both young men and women making independent decisions in relation to marriage and childbearing. Men's involvement is necessary in healthcare programmes designed to improve women's sexual and reproductive health and the health of the newborn. Young, first-time fathers, in particular, need support and empowerment.

Access to safe abortion: building choices for women living with HIV and AIDS

In many areas of the world where HIV prevalence is high, rates of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion have also been shown to be high. Of all pregnancies worldwide in 2008, 41% were reported as unintended or unplanned, and approximately 50% of these ended in abortion. Of the estimated 21.6 million unsafe abortions occurring worldwide in 2008 (around one in 10 pregnancies), approximately 21.2 million occurred in developing countries, often due to restrictive abortion laws and leading to an estimated 47,000 maternal deaths and untold numbers of women who will suffer long-term health consequences. Despite this context, little research has focused on decisions about and experiences of women living with HIV with regard to terminating a pregnancy, although this should form part of comprehensive promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights.

In this paper, we explore the existing evidence related to global and country-specific barriers to safe abortion for all women, with an emphasis on research gaps around the right of women living with HIV to choose safe abortion services as an option for dealing with unwanted pregnancies. The main focus is on the situation for women living with HIV in Brazil, Namibia and South Africa as examples of three countries with different conditions regarding women's access to safe legal abortions: a very restrictive setting, a setting with several indications for legal abortion but non-implementation of the law, and a rather liberal setting.

Similarities and differences are discussed, and we further outline global and country-specific barriers to safe abortion for all women, ending with recommendations for policy makers and researchers.

'It hurts, but I don't have a choice, I'm not working and I'm sick': decisions and experiences regarding abortion of women living with HIV in Cape Town, South Africa

Research was conducted with 36 women living with HIV in Cape Town, South Africa, regarding their decision-making about, and experiences with, abortion of unwanted pregnancies in the public health sector. Abortion intentions and decisions were explored by investigating influencing factors; knowledge of abortion policy and public health sector services; and abortion perceptions and experiences. Findings reveal that many women face censure both for becoming pregnant and terminating a pregnancy, including by family, partners, community members and healthcare providers. Data suggest that abortion may be more stigmatised than HIV despite South Africa's liberal abortion law. Generally, however, study participants were satisfied with the abortion care received. Most would advise women living with HIV to think carefully about abortion, but to make a decision in their own best interests, including only seeking care early in pregnancy from an accredited clinic. Study implications include a need to integrate information and counselling on safe legal abortion within sexual and reproductive health services, especially in efforts to integrate sexual and reproductive health into HIV care, and to forge greater linkages between HIV and abortion services more generally to ensure continuity in follow-up of care for women.