title: A call to action: Addressing the reproductive health needs of women with drug-resistant tuberculosis.
abstract: Although there is substantial risk to maternal and neonatal health in the situation of pregnancy during treatment for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB), there is little evidence to guide clinicians as to how to manage this complexity. Of the 49 680 patients initiated on RR-TB treatment from 2009 to 2014 in South Africa, 47% were women and 80% of them were in their reproductive years (15 - 44). There is an urgent need for increased evidence of the safety of RR-TB treatment during pregnancy, increased access to contraception during RR-TB treatment, and inclusion of reproductive health in research on the prevention and treatment of TB.
authors.affiliation: Right to Care, Johannesburg, South Africa; Clinical HIV Research Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. kschnipp@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schnippel
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ndjeka
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Conradie
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Berhanu
authors.forename: Zerilda
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Claasen
authors.forename: Shabir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banoo
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Firnhaber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000904:Antibiotics, Antitubercular / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003267:Contraception; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012293:Rifampin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000904:Antibiotics, Antitubercular; D012293:Rifampin