Degrees of disclosure: a study of women's covert use of the diaphragm in an HIV prevention trial in sub-Saharan Africa.

In sub-Saharan Africa more women are infected with HIV/AIDS than men and new prevention methods are urgently needed. One major attribute of female-initiated HIV prevention methods is that they can be used covertly, without a male partner's knowledge. Using mixed methods, we explored the predictors and dimensions of covert use of the diaphragm in a randomized controlled trial that tested its effectiveness for HIV prevention. The Methods for Improving Reproductive Health in Africa (MIRA) trial was conducted in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and data collection took place between September 2003 and January 2007. This study is a secondary analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from participants randomized to the intervention group, and their male partners. It includes survey data from 2316 women (mean age=28.3), 14 focus group discussions (FGD) conducted with 104 women, and 7 FGD and 10 in-depth interviews with 37 male partners. The median follow-up for trial participation was 21 months (range: 12-24). At their final visit, approximately 9% of women had never disclosed to their primary partners that they were using the diaphragm (covert use). In multivariate analysis, predictors of covert use included being older, not co-habiting with the partner, having a partner who did not use condoms, and being from South Africa. Qualitative analysis revealed that covert use was not dichotomous, but ranged along a continuum, which we categorized into five levels (i.e. full disclosure; mostly open use; occasional covert use; mostly covert use; and completely covert use). We discuss the critical role of the option of covert use for many women in the context of an HIV prevention trial, as well as gender power dynamics which may influence women's decisions about disclosure

Dramatic decline in substance use by HIV-infected pregnant women in the United States from 1990–2012

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe temporal changes in substance use among HIV-infected pregnant women in the US from 1990–2012. DESIGN: Data came from two prospective cohort studies (Women and Infants Transmission Study and Surveillance Monitoring for Antiretroviral Therapy Toxicities Study). METHODS: Women were classified as using a substance during pregnancy if they self-reported use or had a positive biological sample. To account for correlation between repeated pregnancies by the same woman, GEE models were used to test for temporal trends and evaluate predictors of substance use. RESULTS: Over the 23-year period, substance use among the 5,451 HIV-infected pregnant women sharply declined; 82% of women reported substance use during pregnancy in 1990, compared to 23% in 2012. Use of each substance decreased significantly (p<0.001 for each substance) in an approximately linear fashion, until reaching a plateau in 2006. Multivariable models showed substance use was inversely associated with receiving antiretroviral therapy. Among the subset of 824 women with multiple pregnancies under observation, women who used a substance in their previous pregnancy were at elevated risk of substance use during their next pregnancy (RR, 5.71; 95% CI, 4.63–7.05). CONCLUSIONS: A substantial decrease in substance use during pregnancy was observed between 1990 and 2012 in two large US cohorts of HIV-infected women. Substance use prevalence in these cohorts became similar to that of pregnant women in the general US population by the mid-2000s, suggesting that the observed decrease may be due to an epidemiological transition of the HIV epidemic among women in the US

Perinatal Depressive Symptoms, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Suppression, and the Underlying Role of Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence: A Longitudinal Mediation Analysis in the IMPAACT P1025 Cohort

Women with HIV have higher risk of depressive symptoms in the perinatal period. Evidence on how perinatal depressive symptoms affect viral suppression (VS) and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains limited. Perinatal depressive symptoms were assessed using 6 items from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Quality of Life questionnaire. VS (viral load <400 copies/mL) was the outcome. Adherence was defined as no missed dose in the past 1-4 weeks using the ACTG Adherence Questionnaire. Generalized mixed-effects structural equation models estimated the association of depressive symptoms on VS and the mediating role of ART adherence among women enrolled in the IMPAACT P1025 Perinatal Core Protocol (2002-2013). Among 1869 participants, 47.6% were 21-29 years, 57.6% non-Hispanic Black. In the third trimester, the mean depressive symptoms score was 14.0 (±5.2), 68.0% had consistent adherence, and 77.3% achieved VS. At 6 months postpartum, depressive symptoms declined while adherence and VS fell to 59.8% and 53.0%, respectively. In the fully adjusted model, a 1-SD increase in depressive symptoms was associated with a 3.8-percentage-point (95% CI: -5.7, -1.9) decline in VS. This effect is the sum of the indirect effect of depressive symptoms on VS via ART adherence (-0.4; 95% CI: -.7, -.2) and the direct effect through other pathways (-3.4; -5.2, -1.5). The decline in adherence driven by depressive symptoms accounted for ≥11% of the total negative effect of depressive symptoms on VS. Perinatal depressive symptoms were associated with decreased adherence and VS, highlighting the need to screen for, diagnose, and treat perinatal depression to optimize maternal outcomes. NCT00028145

Biomarkers From Late Pregnancy to 6 Weeks Postpartum in HIV-Infected Women Who Continue Versus Discontinue Antiretroviral Therapy After Delivery

BackgroundWomen who use antiretroviral therapy (ART) solely for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV discontinue postpartum. We hypothesized that women discontinuing ART by 6 weeks postpartum ("discontinuers") would have elevated postpartum inflammatory biomarker levels relative to women remaining on ART postpartum ("continuers").MethodsData from HIV-infected pregnant women enrolled in the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Group P1025 with CD4 counts &gt;350 cells per cubic millimeter before initiating ART or first pregnancy CD4 counts &gt;400 cells per cubic millimeter after starting ART and with available stored plasma samples at &gt;20 weeks of gestation, delivery, and 6 weeks postpartum were analyzed. Plasma samples were tested for highly sensitive C-reactive protein, D-dimer, and interleukin-6. We used longitudinal linear spline regression to model biomarkers over time.ResultsData from 128 women (65 continuers and 63 discontinuers) were analyzed. All biomarkers increased from late pregnancy to delivery, then decreased postpartum (slopes different from 0, P &lt; 0.001). Continuers had a steeper decrease in log D-dimer between delivery and 6 weeks postpartum than discontinuers (P = 0.002).ConclusionsIn contrast to results from treatment interruption studies in adults, both ART continuers and ART discontinuers had significant decreases in the levels of D-dimer, highly sensitive C-reactive protein, or interleukin-6 postpartum. Continuation was associated with a more rapid decline in D-dimer levels compared with discontinuation

Patterns and predictors of adherence to diaphragm use in a phase III trial in sub-Saharan Africa: a trajectory analysis.

BACKGROUND: We examined diaphragm adherence among 2429 women randomized to the intervention arm (diaphragm + gel + condoms) in Methods for Improving Reproductive Health in Africa, a phase III trial of the diaphragm for HIV prevention in Zimbabwe and South Africa. METHODS: Women were followed for a median of 7 quarterly visits (range: 1-8 quarterly visits) during which diaphragm adherence was assessed. We conducted trajectory analyses to identify behavioral groups associated with specific diaphragm adherence patterns. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression was used to identify baseline characteristics associated with higher probability of being in a particular trajectory group. RESULTS: Diaphragm uptake was very high (3.1% never used diaphragms). However, diaphragm adherence was reported at only 49% of visits. Women were clustered into 4 diaphragm adherence groups based on their highest estimated group membership probability: low adherers (31.0%), decreasing adherers (28.9%), increasing adherers (9.3%), and high adherers (30.8%). Women classified as high adherers (as compared with low adherers) were more likely to be older [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07 to 1.11] and to report baseline condom adherence (AOR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.47 to 2.71). They were less likely to have high-risk behavior (AOR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.71) and to have high-risk partners (AOR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.78). They were most likely to be from the Zimbabwe site (AOR = 2.82; 95% CI: 1.89 to 4.20) and least likely to be from the Johannesburg site (AOR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.77). CONCLUSION: This analytic approach could help to identify high compliers for enrollment in future HIV prevention trials or the types of participants who may need intensive adherence counseling during follow-up

Young Incarcerated Men’s Perceptions of and Experiences With HIV Testing

We analyzed incarcerated men’s perceptions of and experiences with HIV testing. Interviews were conducted with 105 men, aged 18 to 29 years, in 4 states. Most men had received an HIV test while incarcerated because it was convenient or free or because they thought it was mandatory. At most sites, men believed they were HIV-negative because they never received test results. Some men did not know the diseases for which they had been tested. Some men avoided HIV testing outside prison because they lacked time, lacked resources, feared knowing the results, or perceived themselves to not be at risk

Gestational weight gain in persons with HIV in the United States

Objective: We evaluated gestational weight gain (GWG) in pregnant persons with HIV (PWH) enrolled in the Surveillance Monitoring for ART Toxicities study. Design: This was a cohort study. Methods: GWG was classified as excessive, adequate, or inadequate; weekly GWG in second and third trimesters was calculated using National Academy of Medicine standards. Adjusted modified Poisson and linear regression models were fit with generalized estimating equations to assess the association of antiretroviral treatment (ART) with GWG outcomes stratified by timing of ART initiation [at conception (ART-C) and initiating during pregnancy (ART-I)]. Results: We included 1477 pregnancies (847 ART-C, 630 ART-I) from 1282 PWH. The proportion of excessive, adequate, and inadequate GWG was 44, 24, and 32%, respectively. No associations of ART class with excessive GWG were observed overall. However, among ART-I pregnancies with overweight prepregnancy BMI-based, protease inhibitor-based, nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based, and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based ART were associated with significantly lower GWG per week than integrase inhibitor (INSTI)-based ART [mean differences: -0.14, -0.27, and -0.29 kg/week, respectively]. Among ART-I pregnancies with obese prepregnancy BMI, lower weekly GWG was also observed for protease inhibitor-based vs. INSTI-based ART (mean difference: -0.14 kg/week). Conclusion: ART class type was not associated with excessive GWG. However, PWH entering pregnancy already overweight/obese and initiating INSTI-based ART had higher weekly GWG in second and third trimesters vs. other ART classes. Further studies to understand how increases in weekly GWG for overweight/obese PWH impinges on long-term maternal/child health are warranted

Evaluating the association of antiretroviral therapy and immune status with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy among people with HIV

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association of timing of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation and ART class with risk of new-onset hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) among people with HIV (PWH). Design: An observational study of participants in the multisite Surveillance Monitoring for ART Toxicities (SMARTT) study. Methods: Data were abstracted from medical records of pregnant PWH enrolled in SMARTT (January 30, 2015 to March 25, 2019). New-onset HDP included gestational hypertension, preeclampsia/eclampsia, or HELLP syndrome. We examined the associations of clinical risk factors and three exposures of interest, each in a separate model, with risk of new-onset HDP. Log-binomial regression models were fit using generalized estimating equations to account for correlations within people. Exposures included timing of ART initiation, antiretroviral class among those on therapy at conception, and antiretroviral class among those initiating treatment during pregnancy. Results: Of 1038 pregnancies in this cohort, 973 were singletons with complete data on HDP, with ART use in 948. Overall, 9% had a new-onset HDP, 10% had chronic hypertension, and 81% had no hypertension. Diabetes [adjusted relative risk (aRR) 2.44, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.42–4.21] and first/second trimester CD4+ cell count less than 200 cells/μl (aRR 1.99, 95% CI 1.21–3.27) were associated with a greater risk of new-onset HDP. Risk of new-onset HDP was similar by antiretroviral class, but those initiating ART after 20 weeks’ gestation had a greater risk (aRR 1.93, 95% CI 1.12–3.30) compared with those receiving ART at conception. Conclusion: In this large, diverse cohort of pregnant PWH, worse early pregnancy immune status and later ART initiation were associated with an increased risk of HDP while ART class was not