AEGiS-14IAC: HIV-positive women's use of and attitudes to antiretroviral treatments during pregnancy in Australia.

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

HIV-positive women's use of and attitudes to antiretroviral treatments during pregnancy in Australia.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. MoOrE1069)

McDonald KM, Kirkman M
Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health &Society, Melbourne, Australia

BACKGROUND: There have been numerous clinical trials and considerable public discussion about the impact of advances in antiretroviral (ARV) therapy during pregnancy and childbirth, but little of this has focused on the views of arguably the most important affected population, namely women living with HIV/AIDS. This paper examines women's use of and attitudes to ARV during pregnancy and childbirth.

METHODS: A qualitative research project in Australia collected data in 2001 on the use of and attitudes to ARV treatments during pregnancy among 33 HIV-positive women. Narrative analysis was used to discover what ARV therapy meant to these women and how they interpreted its role in their lives.

RESULTS: Of the 33 participants, 27 women had 47 children; 23 of these children were born after the women became aware of their HIV status. One child was HIV-positive. Although most women agreed to commence treatment either before their pregnancy or by the second trimester, many women expressed concern about potential toxicity and/or harm to their unborn child. Some of the women also expressed grave concerns about giving ARV to their newborn baby which resulted in a detrimental influence on the women's effective use of ARV therapy. All but one woman refrained from breastfeeding, although this was associated with a considerable sense of loss for a number of the women.

CONCLUSIONS: Understanding women's concerns about ARV both antepartum and postpartum is a crucial component of effective and appropriate health care for women living with HIV/AIDS and their babies. It is vital that information targeted at HIV-positive women addresses their concerns about the use of ARV. Provision of appropriate information can assist women to make optimal choices for themselves and their children.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Pregnancy Complications, Infectious, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Attitude, Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active, Breast Feeding, Clinical Trials, Pregnancy, Unwanted, Attitude to Health, Labor, Obstetric, Australia, Pregnancy, Human, Adult, Female, Infant, Child, Infant, Newborn, utilization, therapy, drug therapy

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MoOrE1069