HIV Decreases Fertility in Women

HIV-positive women are less likely to get pregnant and more likely to have a miscarriage when pregnant than HIV-negative women, researchers from Uganda reported in the March 26 edition of the journal AIDS. The study involved 191 women ages 15 to 49 from 15 villages in southwest Uganda between 1990 and 2001; 92 of the women were HIV-positive and were not taking anti-HIV medications. HIV-positive women in all age groups except ages 15 to 19 experienced fewer pregnancies than HIV-negative women. Severity of HIV disease had no bearing on pregnancy rates, since even asymptomatic HIV-positive women became pregnant less frequently than their age-adjusted HIV-negative peers. HIV-positive women who did become pregnant also were significantly more likely to miscarry or have stillborn babies. 'HIV disease progression is associated with a reduction in fertility,' the researchers concluded. 'This reduction is present from the earliest asymptomatic stages of HIV infection, resulting from both a reduced incidence in recognized pregnancy and increased risk of fetal loss.'