HIV and pregnancy intentions: do services adequately respond to women's needs?
Too little is known about how an HIV diagnosis and access to care and treatment affect women's childbearing intentions. As access to antiretroviral therapy improves, greater numbers of HIV-positive women are living longer, healthier lives, and many want to have children. Effectively supporting women's reproductive decisionmaking in the context of HIV requires understanding how pregnancy, reproduction, and HIV intersect and asking questions that bridge the biomedical and social sciences. Considering women to be at the center of decisions on health policy and service delivery can help provide an appropriate constellation of services. A clear research agenda is needed to create a more coordinated approach to policies and programs supporting the pregnancy intentions of women with HIV.
Gruskin
Sofia
S
Program on International Health and Human Rights, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Ave, 1-1202, Boston, MA 02115, USA. sgruskin@hsph.harvard.edu
Firestone
Rebecca
R
Maccarthy
Sarah
S
Ferguson
Laura
L
D001294:Attitude to Health; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D013240:Stereotyping; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*