HIV-1 infection and fertility in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Afr J Reprod Health. 2006 Dec;10(3):41-52.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the association of HIV-1 infection with rates of pregnancy and pregnancy loss in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A retrospective cohort study of 1,006 HIV-infected women and 485 uninfected women was employed. In multivariate analyses controlling for other predictors of pregnancy, the association of HIV-seropositivity with a woman's reported number of pregnancies was of borderline significance (RR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.00, 1.27). HIV infection was not associated with pregnancy loss in multivariate analysis. The adjusted pregnancy rate ratio comparing HIV-positive women at the earliest stages of infection to all uninfected women was 1.22 (95% CI = 1.04, 1.42). HIV infection was not associated with female fertility when comparing women in the most advanced stages of infection to all uninfected women. We conclude that HIV-1 infected women had higher pregnancy rates than uninfected women. This association disappeared when analyses were limited to women with advanced disease. Abstract word count: 150.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Cohort Studies
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Fertility*
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology
  • HIV Infections / physiopathology*
  • HIV-1*
  • Humans
  • Parturition
  • Pregnancy
  • Tanzania / epidemiology