Adequacy of prenatal care among women living with human immunodeficiency virus: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal care reduces perinatal morbidity. However, there are no population-based studies examining the adequacy of prenatal care among women living with HIV. Accordingly, we compared the prevalence of adequate prenatal care among women living with and without HIV infection in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: Using administrative data in a universal single-payer setting, we determined the proportions of women initiating care in the first trimester and receiving adequate prenatal care according to the Revised-Graduated Prenatal Care Utilization Index . We also determined the proportion of women with HIV receiving adequate prenatal care by immigration status. We used generalized estimating equations with a logit link function to derive adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for all analyses. RESULTS: Between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2011, a total of 1,132,135 pregnancies were available for analysis, of which 634 (0.06%) were among women living with HIV. Following multivariable adjustment, women living with HIV were less likely to receive adequate prenatal care (36.1% versus 43.3%; aOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.88) or initiate prenatal care in the first trimester (50.8% versus 70.0%; aOR 0.51, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.60) than women without HIV. Among women with HIV, recent (i.e. ≤ 5 years) immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean were less likely to receive adequate prenatal care (25.5% versus 38.5%; adjusted odds ratio 0.51; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.81) than Canadian-born women. CONCLUSION: Despite universal health care, disparities exist in the receipt of adequate prenatal care between women living with and without HIV. Interventions are required to ensure that women with HIV receive timely and adequate prenatal care.

Adverse Neonatal Outcomes Among Women Living With HIV: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: There have been few population-based studies describing the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes among women living with HIV in Canada. Accordingly, we compared the risk of preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age births among Ontario women aged 18 to 49 years living with and without HIV infection. METHODS: We conducted a population-based study using Ontario health administrative data. Generalized estimating equations with a logit link function were used to derive adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals for the association of HIV infection with adverse neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: Between 2002-2003 and 2010-2011, a total of 1 113 874 singleton live births were available for analysis, of which 615 (0.06%) were to women living with HIV. The proportion of singleton births that were SGA (14.6% vs. 10.3%; P < 0.001), PTB (14.6% vs. 6.3%; P < 0.001), and LBW (12.5% vs. 4.6%; P < 0.001) were higher among women living with HIV than among women without HIV. Following multivariable adjustment, the risks of PTB (aOR 1.76; 95% CI 1.38 to 2.24), SGA (aOR 1.43; 95% CI 1.12 to 1.81), and LBW (aOR 1.90; 95% CI 1.47 to 2.45) were higher for women living with HIV than for women without HIV. CONCLUSION: Women with HIV are at higher risk of adverse neonatal outcomes than HIV-negative women. Further research is required to develop preconception and prenatal interventions that could reduce the excess burden of poor pregnancy outcomes among women living with HIV.

Contexte : Peu d'études en population générale ont décrit le risque d'issues néonatales indésirables chez les femmes vivant avec le VIH au Canada. Par conséquent, nous avons comparé les risques d'accouchement préterme (APT), de faible poids de naissance (FPN) et d'hypotrophie fœtale (HF) chez des Ontariennes de 18-49 ans vivant ou non avec le VIH. Méthodes : Nous avons mené une étude en population générale au moyen de données administratives sur la santé en Ontario. Des équations d'estimation généralisées comptant une fonction Logit ont été utilisées pour en venir à des rapports de cotes corrigés (RCc) et à des intervalles de confiance à 95 % en ce qui concerne l'association entre l'infection au VIH et des issues néonatales indésirables. Résultats : Entre 2002­2003 et 2010­2011, 1 113 874 naissances vivantes issues de grossesses monofœtales étaient disponibles aux fins de l'analyse, 615 (0,06 %) desquelles mettaient en jeu des femmes vivant avec le VIH. La proportion de naissances issues de grossesses monofœtales qui présentaient une HF (14,6 % vs 10,3 %; P < 0,001), un APT (14,6 % vs 6,3 %; P < 0,001) et un FPN (12,5 % vs 4,6 %; P < 0,001) était plus élevée chez les femmes vivant avec le VIH que chez les femmes n'étant pas infectées par ce dernier. À la suite d'une correction multivariée, les risques d'APT (RCc, 1,76; IC à 95 %, 1,38 - 2,24), d'HF (RCc, 1,43; IC à 95 %, 1,12 - 1,81) et de FPN (RCc, 1,90; IC à 95 %, 1,47 - 2,45) étaient plus élevés chez les femmes vivant avec le VIH que chez les femmes n'étant pas infectées par ce dernier. Conclusion : Les femmes vivant avec le VIH sont exposées à des risques d'issues néonatales indésirables plus élevés que les femmes séronégatives pour le VIH. La tenue d'autres recherches s'avère requise pour que l'on puisse élaborer des interventions préconceptionnelles et prénatales qui pourraient atténuer le fardeau supplémentaire que doivent assumer les femmes vivant avec le VIH en matière de piètres issues de grossesse.

The importance of motherhood in HIV-positive women of reproductive age in Ontario, Canada.

Motherhood is personally, culturally, and historically rooted. Recent publications have focused on medical issues related to pregnancy and HIV, with attention on fetal well-being. There is limited literature on the importance of motherhood for HIV-positive women. Our study's purpose was to investigate the importance of motherhood among HIV-positive women of reproductive age in Ontario, Canada and to analyze the correlates thereof. We present our findings using a secondary analysis of cross-sectionally collected data from a study assessing fertility desires and intentions of HIV-positive women. The sub-analysis's outcome of interest was based on the question: "Being a mother is important to me" with a 5-point Likert scale that was dichotomized into strongly agree/agree vs. neutral/disagree/strongly disagree. Logistic regression models were fit to calculate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for significant correlates. Of the 497 respondents, median age was 38 (interquartile range [IQR] 32-43), 46% were African, 74% had given birth, and 57% intended to give birth. A total of 452 (91%) agreed (N = 75) or strongly agreed (N = 377) that being a mother was important to them. Age less than 40 years (OR 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-5.7, African ethnicity (OR 9.2; 95% CI 3.2-26.3), immigration within 10 years (OR 19.6, 95% CI 4.6-83.1), and partner or family desire for a pregnancy (OR 3.3; 95% CI 1.5-7.3) were significant correlates of the importance of motherhood in a univariate analysis. Importance of motherhood was associated with desire (OR 6.2, 95% CI 3.1-12.3) and intention to give birth (OR 6.9, 95% CI 3.1-15.2), and previous birth (OR 8.5, 95% CI 4.2-16.8). In the multivariable model, the significant correlates were of age less than 40 years (OR 3.9; 95% CI 1.8-8.4), immigration within 10 years (OR 14.1; 95% CI 3.2-61.5), and having previously given birth (OR 11.2; 95% CI 5.1-24.4). The majority of women felt strongly that motherhood was important to them particularly among younger women, recent immigrants, and women who were mothers.

Maternal placental syndromes among women living with HIV in Ontario: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Maternal placental syndromes are associated with adverse fetal outcomes and maternal cardiovascular disease. However, whether HIV infection increases the risk of maternal placental syndromes is unknown. Our objective was to compare the risk of maternal placental syndromes between women living with and without HIV infection in Ontario. METHODS: We conducted a population-based study using health administrative data from Ontario. We identified all pregnancies resulting in a live birth between Apr. 1, 2002, and Mar. 31, 2011; we identified women living with HIV using a validated case-finding algorithm. Our primary composite outcome was maternal placental syndromes, defined as a diagnosis of preeclampsia, eclampsia, placental abruption or placental infarction. We used generalized estimating equations with a logit link function to derive adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between HIV infection and maternal placental syndromes. RESULTS: Data from 1 132 871 pregnancies were available for analysis; 634 (0.06%) of the pregnancies were in women living with HIV. After multivariable adjustment, we found no difference in the risk of maternal placental syndromes between women living with HIV and those without HIV infection (5.8% v. 5.6%; AOR 0.85 [95% CI 0.59-1.21]). An increased risk of maternal placental syndromes was associated with pre-existing diabetes (AOR 1.47 [95% CI 1.39-1.54]), pre-existing hypertension (AOR 4.28 [95% CI 4.15-4.42]) and chronic kidney disease (AOR 1.83 [95% CI 1.61-2.08]). INTERPRETATION: Women with HIV are not at increased risk of maternal placental syndromes. Our results underscore the importance of optimizing the management of comorbid illness associated with maternal placental syndromes during the prenatal period for all women, irrespective of HIV status.

Postpartum Maternal and Neonatal Hospitalizations Among Women with HIV: A Population-Based Study.

Postpartum maternal and neonatal readmissions in the period shortly following birth are indicators of serious morbidity. We compared the risk of postpartum maternal and neonatal hospitalizations in women living with and without HIV in Ontario, Canada. We conducted a population-based study of pregnancies in Ontario between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2011 using Ontario's administrative health care databases. Generalized estimating equations were used to derive adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of HIV infection with postpartum maternal hospitalizations within 30 days of hospital discharge and neonatal hospitalizations within 30 and 60 days of hospital discharge. Between 2002/2003 and 2010/2011, 1,133,505 pregnancies were available for analysis, of which 634 (0.06%) were to women living with HIV. The proportion of postpartum maternal hospitalizations (2.8% versus 1.1%; odds ratio 2.53; 95% CI 1.57 to 4.07) was higher among women with HIV. The multivariable adjusted odds ratio was 1.54 (95% CI 0.93 to 2.55). The proportions of neonates hospitalized within 30 (2.6% versus 3.7%; aOR 0.68, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.10) and 60 days (4.9% versus 4.9%; aOR 0.86, 95% CI 0.60 to 1.24) of discharge were similar among infants born to women with and without HIV. Women living with HIV are at a higher risk of postpartum maternal hospitalizations than women not living with HIV. The effect of HIV infection was attenuated by multivariable adjustment, suggesting that sociodemographic or health care factors are responsible for much of the difference in outcomes.

Trends in live birth rates and adverse neonatal outcomes among HIV-positive women in Ontario, Canada, 2002-2009: a descriptive population-based study.

To characterise trends in live birth rates, adverse neonatal outcomes and socio-demographic characteristics of pregnant women with diagnosed HIV between the ages of 18 and 49 in Ontario, Canada from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2010, we conducted a population-based study. Utilising linked administrative healthcare databases we used generalised estimating equations to characterise secular trends and examine the association between live births and socio-demographic characteristics, including age, region of birth and neighbourhood income quintile. Between 2002/2003 and 2009/2010, there were 551 live births during 15,610 person-years of follow-up. The proportion of HIV-positive mothers originally from Africa or the Caribbean increased from 26.7% to 51.6% over the study period. The risk of pre-term (risk ratio 2.13, 95% confidence interval 1.74 to 2.61) and small for gestational age births (risk ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval 1.20 to 1.94) was higher in women with HIV compared with provincial estimates for these outcomes. Women with HIV have rates of pre-term and small for gestational age births that exceed provincial estimates for these outcomes. Further research is required to identify factors mediating these disparities that are amenable to pre-natal risk reduction initiatives.

Gender and ethnicity differences in HIV-related stigma experienced by people living with HIV in Ontario, Canada.

This study aimed to understand gender and ethnicity differences in HIV-related stigma experienced by 1026 HIV-positive individuals living in Ontario, Canada that were enrolled in the OHTN Cohort Study. Total and subscale HIV-related stigma scores were measured using the revised HIV-related Stigma Scale. Correlates of total stigma scores were assessed in univariate and multivariate linear regression. Women had significantly higher total and subscale stigma scores than men (total, median = 56.0 vs. 48.0, p<0.0001). Among men and women, Black individuals had the highest, Aboriginal and Asian/Latin-American/Unspecified people intermediate, and White individuals the lowest total stigma scores. The gender-ethnicity interaction term was significant in multivariate analysis: Black women and Asian/Latin-American/Unspecified men reported the highest HIV-related stigma scores. Gender and ethnicity differences in HIV-related stigma were identified in our cohort. Findings suggest differing approaches may be required to address HIV-related stigma based on gender and ethnicity; and such strategies should challenge racist and sexist stereotypes.

Fertility desires and intentions of HIV-positive women of reproductive age in Ontario, Canada: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Improvements in life expectancy and quality of life for HIV-positive women coupled with reduced vertical transmission will likely lead numerous HIV-positive women to consider becoming pregnant. In order to clarify the demand, and aid with appropriate health services planning for this population, our study aims to assess the fertility desires and intentions of HIV-positive women of reproductive age living in Ontario, Canada. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A cross-sectional study with recruitment stratified to match the geographic distribution of HIV-positive women of reproductive age (18-52) living in Ontario was carried out. Women were recruited from 38 sites between October 2007 and April 2009 and invited to complete a 189-item self-administered survey entitled "The HIV Pregnancy Planning Questionnaire" designed to assess fertility desires, intentions and actions. Logistic regression models were fit to calculate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios of significant predictors of fertility intentions. The median age of the 490 participating HIV-positive women was 38 (IQR, 32-43) and 61%, 52%, 47% and 74% were born outside of Canada, living in Toronto, of African ethnicity and currently on antiretroviral therapy, respectively. Of total respondents, 69% (95% CI, 64%-73%) desired to give birth and 57% (95% CI, 53%-62%) intended to give birth in the future. In the multivariable model, the significant predictors of fertility intentions were: younger age (age<40) (p<0.0001), African ethnicity (p<0.0001), living in Toronto (p = 0.002), and a lower number of lifetime births (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The proportions of HIV-positive women of reproductive age living in Ontario desiring and intending pregnancy were higher than reported in earlier North American studies. Proportions were more similar to those reported from African populations. Healthcare providers and policy makers need to consider increasing services and support for pregnancy planning for HIV-positive women. This may be particularly significant in jurisdictions with high levels of African immigration.