Network articles from June 22 2007

Network archives from June 22 2007

Hormonal contraception and HIV: hormonal contraceptive users need not switch to another contraceptive method.(Clinical report)
June 22, 2007... Hormonal contraceptive methods, among the most effective means of preventing pregnancy, have greatly improved the well-being of women and their families alike. However, as the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues unabated, scientists seeking to identify...

Hormonal contraception and HIV acquisition: study finds no overall association.
June 22, 2007... Imagine Caroline, a 23-year-old, married woman from Zimbabwe who--like more than a third of women in that country using contraception--takes an oral contraceptive pill each day. By preventing pregnancy at a time in her life when she is not...

Why this study is unique.
June 22, 2007... A possible relationship between hormonal contraceptive use and HIV acquisition has been investigated in approximately 30 studies. However, understanding of this possible relationship has remained poor. Study results have been inconsistent, in...

Questions and answers: study of hormonal contraceptive use and HIV acquisition.(Interview)
June 22, 2007... How widely is hormonal contraception used? Worldwide, about 84 million women currently married or in union use combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and about 24 million such women use the injectable depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA)....

Research implications for users and providers.
June 22, 2007... Extensive research over decades has shown that combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and the injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) are extremely safe and pose few serious side effects. Recent research suggests...

Actions to minimize HIV risks.
June 22, 2007... Actions to Minimize HIV Risks HIV Status of Couple For Hormonal For Family Planning Contraceptive Users and VCT Providers Unknown Seek HIV testing to Encourage both ...

Clients can quickly learn HIV status.
June 22, 2007... Am I infected with HIV? Is my partner infected with HIV? Most men and women throughout the world do not know the answers to these questions. But, particularly in settings of high HIV prevalence, a sexually active individual who is not in a...

Research implications for policy-makers.
June 22, 2007... In light of recent research showing no overall association between hormonal contraceptive use and HIV acquisition among women at relatively low risk of HIV infection, no changes should be made in the provision or use of combined oral...

Balancing relative HIV and pregnancy-related risks.
June 22, 2007... Balancing Relative HIV and Pregnancy-Related Risks Type of HIV Risk of pregnancy-related morbidity/mortality Epidemic * Low risk {[dagger]) (safe High risk ([dagger]) ...

Hormonal contraception and STI acquisition explored.
June 22, 2007... Do hormonal contraceptive methods increase women's risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) other than HIV? This question is of critical concern, given that more than 100 million women worldwide use these methods. (1) Decreasing...

Does hormonal contraception increase HIV infectivity?(Hormonal Contraceptive Use by HIV-infected Women)
June 22, 2007... Whether hormonal contraceptive use by HIV-infected women increases their risk of infecting sexual partners remains unknown. Studies addressing this question are limited. Only two such studies have been prospective, and the results of...

Does hormonal contraception speed HIV progression?(Hormonal Contraceptive Use by HIV-infected Women)(Clinical report)
June 22, 2007... Does the use of hormonal contraception during the early stages of HIV infection affect disease progression? Likewise, does its use during the later stages of infection affect disease progression? These questions cannot be answered yet. The...

Does pregnancy speed HIV progression?(Hormonal Contraceptive Use by HIV-infected Women)
June 22, 2007... Whether pregnancy affects the course of HIV infection is an important question for HIV-infected women interested in using hormonal contraception. Such women need to weigh the potential--but still unproven--risk of accelerated progression to...

Contraceptive options for HIV-infected women.(Hormonal Contraceptive Use by HIV-infected Women)
June 22, 2007... Women with HIV have a right to decide whether they want to become pregnant and bear children. But if an HIV-infected woman chooses not to have children, or wants to space her family, she should be able to make informed, voluntary decisions...

HIV disclosure key to effective contraception.
June 22, 2007... HIV-infected women's fear of disclosing their serostatus to their regular partners is one of the greatest challenges to providing them with effective contraceptive counseling, says Bernard Mpairwe, senior HIV/AIDS counselor with the Uganda-Case...

How does HIV therapy affect hormonal contraception?
June 22, 2007... Limited evidence suggests that certain antiretroviral (ARV) drugs can either raise or lower concentrations of contraceptive hormones in the blood of HIV-infected women using combined oral contraceptives (COCs). Theoretically, lower...

How does hormonal contraception affect HIV therapy?(Clinical report)
June 22, 2007... Unanswered questions about how contraceptive hormones interact with the immune system and with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs have raised concerns about the response to ARV therapy among HIV-infected women using hormonal contraception. Until...

COC-ARV drug interactions.
June 22, 2007... COC-ARV Drug Interactions Non-nucleoside reverse Effect of ARV Use on Effect of COC Use on transcriptase COC Blood Levels ARV Blood Levels inhibitors (NNRTIs) Delavirdine Possibly increases ...

Module about contraception for women with HIV.(Resources)
June 22, 2007... Contraception for Women and Couples with HIV, a training module from FHI and EngenderHealth, is designed to inform providers of family planning or of HIV treatment and care services about the reproductive choices and contraceptive options...

Training curriculum about research ethics.(Resources)
June 22, 2007... Research Ethics Training Curriculum for Community Representatives from FHI informs and empowers community representatives to speak or advocate for research participants worldwide. The 97-page curriculum addresses general principles of research...

VCT skills training curriculum.(Resources)
June 22, 2007... The sixth and newest element of FHI's Voluntary Counseling and Testing ToolKit is a skills training curriculum that outlines key activities and information needed to prepare people to provide HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services....

STI/RTI essential practice guide.(Resources)
June 22, 2007... Sexually Transmitted and Other Reproductive Tract Infections: A Guide to Essential Practice is a World Health Organization publication, recently developed with the Population Council and FHI. It helps health care managers and practitioners in...

Manuals for Christian, Muslim audiences.(Resources)
June 22, 2007... The manuals Teaching Adults to Communicate with Youth from a Christian Perspective and Teaching Adults to Communicate with Youth from a Muslim Perspective contain six workshops and a participant handbook designed for Christian and Muslim...