Category Archives: Women
Integrating prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programs to improve uptake: A systematic review
Background: We performed a systematic review to assess the effect of integrated perinatal prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV interventions compared to non- or partially integrated services on the uptake...
Cost-effectiveness of counseling and testing to prevent sexual transmission of HIV in the United States
In this paper we review the cost-effectiveness of HIV counseling and testing in various settings and populations in preventing the sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus, and we discuss how...
Mental health of HIV-seropositive women during pregnancy and postpartum period: A comprehensive literature review
With growing numbers of HIV-seropositive (HIV+) women of child-bearing age and increased access to effective clinical protocols for preventing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, mental health-related factors have become increasingly...
Hormonal contraception decreases bacterial vaginosis but oral contraception may increase candidiasis: Implications for HIV transmission
OBJECTIVE: A 2012 WHO consultation concluded that combined oral contraception (COC) does not increase HIV acquisition in women, but the evidence for depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is conflicting. We evaluated...
The uptake of integrated perinatal prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programs in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: The objective of this review was to assess the uptake of WHO recommended integrated perinatal prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV interventions in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS...
Integrating prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programmes with other health services for preventing HIV infection and improving HIV outcomes in developing countries
BACKGROUND: Every year nearly 400,000 children are infected with HIV through mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), which is responsible for more than 90% of HIV infections in children. In high-income countries, the...
Rethinking the heterosexual infectivity of HIV-1: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Studies of cumulative HIV incidence suggest that cofactors such as genital ulcer disease, HIV disease stage, and male circumcision influence HIV transmission; however, the heterosexual infectivity of HIV-1 is commonly...
Efficacy of antiretroviral drugs in reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa: A meta-analysis of published clinical trials
Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) have been shown to be efficacious in decreasing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. A summary estimate of the efficacy of ARVs in reducing MTCT is important for...
Systematic review of the effectiveness and safety of assisted reproduction techniques in couples serodiscordant for human immunodeficiency virus where the man is positive
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of assisted reproduction techniques (ART) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serodiscordant couples. Design: Systematic review of five databases of noncomparative open intervention and...
The impact of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programmes on maternal health care in resource-poor settings: Looking beyond the PMTCT programme – a systematic review
BACKGROUND: There is increasing debate about the impact of scaled-up HIV/AIDS programmes on fragile healthcare systems in low-income countries. OBJECTIVES: To contribute to the understanding of the relation between HIV/AIDS...
