International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol 26, 414-419, Copyright © 1997 by International Epidemiological Association
I Favot, J Ngalula, Z Mgalla, AH Klokke, B Gumodoka and JT Boerma
BACKGROUND: Infertility is common in Africa, but virtually no data exist on
HIV prevalence among infertile women. Mainly anthropological studies in
Africa have shown that infertile women have higher risks of marital
instability and possibly also have more sexual partners than fertile women.
METHOD: This study was conducted in a hospital in northwest Tanzania during
1994 and 1995. Women presenting themselves with infertility problems to the
outpatient clinic were interviewed, examined and blood was drawn. Women who
came to deliver in the hospital, excluding primiparae, were taken as a
control group. The analysis was limited to women > or = 24 years. In
total 154 infertile and 259 fertile women were included in the study.
RESULTS: HIV prevalence was markedly higher among infertile women than
among fertile women: 18.2% and 6.6% respectively (adjusted odds ratio [OR]
for age, residence and occupation 2.7; 95%-confidence interval [CI]:
1.4-5.3). Data on past sexual behaviour showed that infertile women had
more marital breakdowns, more lifetime sexual partners and a higher level
of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases (STD). CONCLUSION: Women with
fertility problems appear to have higher HIV prevalence, which justifies
more attention for such women in the context of AIDS programmes. In
addition, caution is needed when using sentinel surveillance data from
antenatal clinics to monitor HIV prevalence.
ARTICLES
HIV infection and sexual behaviour among women with infertility in Tanzania: a hospital-based study
Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza, Tanzania.
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