Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 56 748 574 as at noon on April 6 2004.
HIV-positive women are less likely to get pregnant and more likely to have a miscarriage, according to a study conducted in Uganda and published in the March 26 edition of AIDS.
The study involved a total of 191 women, aged between 15 and 49, who were enrolled in the Natural History Cohort, which recruited women from 15 neighbouring villages in south-west Uganda between 1990 and 2001.
Women were seen every three months, when they were asked to complete a questionnaire about their recent sexual behaviour, fluctuation in menstrual cycles, pregnancy, miscarriage, births and illnesses.
The women also underwent a physical examination at these visits. No anti-HIV medication was provided to any of the women in the study.
A total of 92 women were HIV-positive, and 99 women were HIV-negative. Investigators found that the frequency of sexual intercourse was lower in HIV-positive women and that the frequency of sex diminished further with HIV-disease progression.
HIV-positive women in all age groups, except 15 to 19, experienced fewer pregnancies. Pregnancies in HIV-positive women were also associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.
Pregnancy was less likely to result in live births in HIV-positive women than in HIV-negative women, even in those women with asymptomatic HIV infection. The rate of live births diminished even further as HIV infection progressed.
Source: www.aidsmap.com