Postpartum women living with HIV: Challenges related to retention in care, treatment adherence, and mental health

Key take-home messages

• Postpartum women living with HIV may find it challenging to remain engaged in HIV care and achieve optimal adherence to antiretroviral medications.
• Late entry or suboptimal engagement in care prior to delivery is associated with poor engagement in care in the postpartum period.
• Some studies have identified that adherence to antiretroviral therapy can decrease during the postpartum period. One systematic review found that only about 74% of postpartum women living with HIV achieve optimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy.
• Psychiatric symptoms, particularly depression, can impact well-being, quality of life, and other important clinical outcomes among pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV.
• The Perinatal Case Management intervention, designed specifically for pre- and postpartum women living with HIV, improved retention in HIV care and antiretroviral adherence outcomes among a U.S. population.

• Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
  • Epidemiology
• Population(s)
  • Women
  • Children or Youth (less than 18 years old)
  • General HIV+ population
• Engagement and Care Cascade
  • Retention in care
  • Treatment
• Mental Health
  • Depression