Review Article

Preconception and Contraceptive Care for Women Living with HIV

Table 3

Potential barriers to preconception counseling and care for women living with HIV.

Limited visit time
Competing priorities and more immediate concerns related to care of HIV and comorbidities
Reluctance of clinicians and HIV-infected women to discuss reproduction/fertility
Assumptions that HIV-positive women donnot want to become pregnant
Effects of the stigma associated with HIV
Challenges associated with lack of empowerment or control in sexual matters among HIV-infected women
Lack of knowledge about contraceptive counseling and PCC among HIV care providers
Lack of knowledge about HIV-specific elements of PCC and counseling among obstetricians and gynecologists (OB/GYNs)
Lack of clearly defined roles for multiple clinicians, for example, HIV provider, OB/GYN, primary care provider