Survey: Only half of women with HIV remember discussing contraceptives with a provider
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Key takeaways:
- Only 56% of women recalled talking with a provider about contraception.
- Oral contraceptive pills were the most commonly used, although 82% of women aged younger than 45 years of age wanted a nondaily method.
Many women with HIV reported using contraceptives in a survey, but just over half remembered having a conversation with a provider about them, results showed.
“We performed a study a couple of years ago that looked at contraception use among women seen in our clinic over time and found that rates of contraception use were lower than what we expected and stable over time,” Jessica L. Castilho MD, MPH, assistant professor and physician-scientist in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told Healio.
“These surprising findings caused us to ask why that was the case, and we realized we need to gather information about contraception use and preferences from women themselves,” she said.
To better gauge attitudes on contraception and reproductive health, Castilho and colleagues administered an anonymous survey to cisgender, English-speaking women with HIV who were aged 18 years and older who received care at the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Center in Nashville between October 2022 and February 2023.
The survey, which was composed of multiple-choice questions, asked the women about current and lifetime contraceptive use, conversations with providers and knowledge regarding reproductive health.
In total, 114 women participated in the survey. Results of the survey showed that oral contraceptive pills were the most commonly used contraceptive (59%) and only 20% of women surveyed reported having ever used long-acting reversible contraception. Regarding preferences, 82% of women aged younger than 45 years wanted a nondaily method and 60% felt uncomfortable with device insertion.
The survey showed that only 56% of women recalled talking with a provider about contraception. Among these women, those of non-Black race (72% vs. 52%) and those who had used long-acting reversible contraceptive (87% vs. 56%) were more likely to remember.
Castilho said these data show that ongoing discussions about all forms of contraception are needed for women living with HIV.
“Contraception and family planning remain critical in the care of women living with HIV,” Castilho said. “Providers need to be informed about contraception options and engage in discussions with women about their family planning goals and contraception preferences.”
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