Reproductive experience of HIV-infected women living in Europe

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe the experience of pregnant and non-pregnant HIV-infected women regarding fertility and childbearing, with a view to inform policies and practices to improve reproductive outcome. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey collected information on socio-demographic and basic reproductive characteristics of HIV-infected women in Europe. A total of 403 women participated; 121 were pregnant. RESULTS: The median age was 29 years and 84% (228) of women were born in Europe. Overall 68% (275 of 403) had been pregnant at some time. At the time of the survey, 59% (n = 160) of women had no HIV symptoms; severe symptoms were more frequent among non-pregnant than pregnant respondents (36% (65 of 181) versus 5% (4 of 88)). Of the women, 80% reported being in a long-standing relationship; 39% (74 of 190) reported that they became infected by their current partner and, overall, heterosexual infection was reported as the mode of acquisition in 55% (190 of 344). Maternal well-being, no previous live birth and having an uninfected partner were strongly associated with the likelihood of being pregnant. To assess the problems relating to fertility, pregnant and nonpregnant women were considered separately. Overall, 46% of pregnant women reported not using condoms to protect against infection during pregnancy. Of the 60 pregnant women who planned their pregnancies, 10 reported the need for assistance in conceiving: five monitored their ovulation period and five became pregnant through in vitro fertilization. Of 34 non-pregnant women currently trying for a baby, 15 (44%) had done so for more than 18 months. Overall 25 (27%) of 94 women who planned to become pregnant needed reproductive care. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that these days knowledge of HIV infection neither influences the desire for children nor the decisions regarding pregnancy in HIV-infected women living in Europe.