P. Greco, A. Vimercati, J. R. Fiore, A. Saracino, G. Buccoliero, G. Loverro, G. Angarano, G. Pastore, L. Selvaggi
Reproductive choice in individuals HIV-1 infected in South Eastern Italy
Objective: To evaluate the impact of counseling on reproductive
choices in seropositive women in South-Eastern Italy.
Setting: University Hospital, Apulia region, South-Eastern Italy, tertiary referral center for high risk obstetrics
and infectious diseases.
Methods: Between March 1985 and December 1996,
two hundred and twenty-five HIV-infected women, receiving
treatment at our clinic for infectious diseases
were enrolled. They were all regularly given treatment
and counseling and their sexual partners, if negative,
tested for HIV-1 antibodies. Their reproductive choices
and their attitude toward pregnancy were recorded and
analyzed.
Results: Seventy-six pregnancies were observed during
this period in 76 women. Twenty-one of these women
(27.7 %) decided to terminate the pregnancy. Women
that were intravenous drug users or with a longer history
of known seropositivity were more likely to have
a termination. A decreasing trend in the request of abortion
was observed with time.
Conclusions: The data show that the scenario of HIV-infected
women is changing in our setting. As a consequence,
many seropositive women deliberately choose
to have a pregnancy and factors different from those we
expect to be modified by the counseling influence their
reproductive choice. They should be taken into account
in the management of these women before and during
pregnancy.
Journal of Perinatal Medicine, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1619-3997
Volume: 27, 07/1999
Pages: 173 - 177
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