"So that's why I found PrEP to be safest way to protect yourself": exploring IPV experiences and impact on HIV prevention among pregnant and postpartum women in Cape Town, South Africa.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs at alarmingly high rates towards pregnant women in South Africa. Experiences of emotional, physical, and sexual IPV in pregnancy can adversely impact the health and safety of mother and fetus. Furthermore, IPV is associated with increased risk of HIV, exacerbating the public health impact of violence among pregnant women in this HIV endemic setting. In-depth understanding of cultural and contextual drivers of experiences of IPV is a critical precursor to development of interventions effectively addressing this issue among pregnant women in South Africa. The present study examines factors contributing to IPV among pregnant women to identify potential points of intervention. We conducted twenty in-depth interviews with postpartum women who used oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in pregnancy and reported recent experiences of IPV and/or ongoing alcohol use in a township near Cape Town, South Africa that experiences a heavy burden of both HIV and IPV. Interpretive thematic analysis was used. Several patterns of IPV during pregnancy were identified and violence was frequently described as co-occurring with male partner alcohol use. A majority of women referenced oral PrEP as their preferred method for HIV prevention, highlighting the agency and discretion it provided as beneficial attributes for women experiencing IPV. Fear of judgement from peers for remaining with an abusive partner and a lack of clear community messaging around IPV were identified as barriers to disclosure and support-seeking. Addressing the lack of social support received by women experiencing IPV during pregnancy in South Africa is essential to comprehensive IPV programming.

Pregnancy outcomes following self-reported and objective-measured exposure to oral preexposure prophylaxis in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To compare pregnancy outcomes using self-reported and objective levels of intracellular tenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP) in pregnant women using preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). DESIGN: We enrolled pregnant women >15 years without HIV at first antenatal care visit in an observational cohort study to compare pregnancy outcomes by PrEP use. METHODS: Exposure defined as: any PrEP use [tenofovir disoproxil and emtricitabine (TDF/FTC]) prescription + reported taking PrEP], or objectively-measured TFV-DP in dried blood spots in PrEP-using pregnant women. The primary outcome was a composite of pregnancy loss, preterm birth (<37weeks), low birthweight (<2500 g), small for gestational age ([SGA] ≤ tenth percentile), or neonatal death. Multivariable logistic regression models evaluated individual and composite adverse outcomes by self-reported or objectively measured PrEP use adjusting for age, gestational age, gravidity and socio-economic status. RESULTS: Between August 19 and February 23, we followed 1195 pregnant women and ascertained 1145 pregnancy outcomes (96%); 72% ( n  = 826) reported taking PrEP while pregnant, 16% did not take PrEP ( n  = 178), 12% were unconfirmed ( n  = 141). Overall, 94.5% ( n  = 1082) had singleton live births with a median birthweight of 3.2 kg [interquartile range (IQR) = 2.9-3.5], with no difference in pregnancy loss between self-reported PrEP exposed vs. unexposed [4.0 vs. 5.6%; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.32-1.47]. Composite adverse outcomes did not differ by reported PrEP use (20% for both groups; aOR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.71-1.63). Comparing objective PrEP use (any TFV-DP vs. no TFV-DP or not on PrEP), adverse outcomes did not differ (aOR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.39-1.04), nor did other outcomes including preterm birth nor SGA. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy outcomes did not differ by PrEP exposure (self-reported or objective), suggesting real-world efficacy that TDF/FTC as PrEP is safe in pregnancy.

Integration of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services for pregnant and breastfeeding women in eight primary care clinics: results of an implementation science study.

Background: Although HIV vertical transmission (VT) has declined significantly in sub-Saharan Africa, incident HIV infection in pregnant and postpartum women is estimated to account for roughly one-third of VT. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBFW) is part of the recommended guidelines in South Africa since 2021; however, integration of PrEP services within antenatal (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) remains limited. Methods: Between March 2022 and September 2023, we evaluated the acceptability, feasibility and sustainability of integrating PrEP for PBFW in high-HIV prevalence clinics after training and mentoring health care providers (HCP). We used the Reach Effectiveness-Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to evaluate the intervention. Acceptability and maintenance were defined as the proportion of PBFW without HIV who initiated PrEP and the proportion of women continuing PrEP at 3 months in ANC or PNC services. Feasibility was defined as the proportion of trained HCPs (HIV lay counsellors and nurses/ midwives) who provided PrEP according to national guidelines, measured through post-training surveys and in-service assessments. Sustainability was defined as number of facilities and providers that continued to provide PrEP for PBFW past the mentoring period. Results: In 8 facilities providing ANC and PNC, we trained 224 HCP (127 nurses and 37 counsellors). Of those, we mentored 60 nurses, midwives and HIV counsellors working with PBFW, with 72% of nurse/midwives and 65% of counsellors scoring over 8/10 on the final mentoring assessment Overall, 12% (1493/12,614) of HIV-negative pregnant women started PrEP and 41% of those continued PrEP at 3-months. Among the HIV-negative breastfeeding women in postnatal care, 179/1315 (14%) initiated PrEP and 25% continued PrEP at 3-months. All 8 facilities continued providing PrEP 3-months after handover of the clinics. Conclusion: Integration of PrEP services in ANC and services for breastfeeding women was feasible, acceptable and sustainable. Acceptability and PrEP continuation showed improvement over time. Barriers to the PrEP integration were observed including the lack of regular HIV testing of breastfeeding mothers and need for ART-trained nurses to prescribe PrEP. Enablers included motivated and dedicated staff.