We Are All Women: Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusion of Transgender Women in HIV Treatment and Support Services Designed for Cisgender Women.

Transgender women share more in common with cisgender women, with respect to sociocultural context and factors influencing HIV risk and outcomes, than they do with "men who have sex with men", a behavioral risk category in which they often are included. However, it is not yet clear whether both transgender and cisgender women would find integrated, all-women HIV programs and services desirable and beneficial. We Are All Women was a qualitative study conducted in the San Francisco Bay Area from April 2016 to January 2017, using a conceptual framework based on gender affirmation and trauma-informed care, to explore barriers and facilitators to inclusion of transgender women in HIV treatment and support services traditionally focused on cisgender women. Thirty-eight women (10 trans, 25 cis, and 3 "other" gender) participated in six semistructured, facilitated focus groups. In addition, five HIV care providers participated in semistructured, in-depth interviews. Both trans and cis women identified the desire for gender affirmation, a feeling of safety (specifically space without men), and potential community building within a care and healing context as powerful facilitators of an inclusive all-women care environment. At the same time, they recognized that tensions do exist between idealized visions of such an environment, deep-seated sentiments and behaviors among some cis women toward trans women, and the practical realities of creating the optimal spaces for all women. Opportunities for dialog between trans and cis women to mitigate gender-associated phobias and misperceptions are a valuable first step in creating HIV care environments that serve all women.

Perinatal HIV Service Coordination: Closing Gaps in the HIV Care Continuum for Pregnant Women and Eliminating Perinatal HIV Transmission in the United States.

Eliminating perinatal transmission of HIV and improving the care of childbearing women living with HIV in the United States require public health and clinical leadership. The Comprehensive Care Workgroup of the Elimination of Perinatal HIV Transmission Stakeholders Group, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, developed a concept of perinatal HIV service coordination (PHSC) and identified 6 core functions through (1) semistructured exploratory interviews with contacts in 11 state or city health departments from April 2011 through February 2012, (2) literature review and summary of data on gaps in services and outcomes, and (3) group meetings from August 2010 through June 2017. We discuss leadership strategies for implementing the core functions of PHSC: strategic planning, access to services, real-time case finding, care coordination, comprehensive care, and data and case reviews. PHSC provides a systematic approach to optimize services and close gaps in perinatal HIV prevention and the HIV care continuum for childbearing women that can be individualized for jurisdictions with varying needs.

Integrating Preexposure Prophylaxis for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevention Into Women's Health Care in the United States.

Women comprise one in five new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses in the United States. Trials and implementation projects demonstrate preexposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention is effective in women. Preexposure prophylaxis is a method of preventing HIV acquisition by having an HIV-negative individual take antiretroviral medication before exposure. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate coformulated with emtricitabine as preexposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention in 2012. Preexposure prophylaxis is highly dependent on adherence for effectiveness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends offering preexposure prophylaxis to individuals at significant risk of infection and estimates 468,000 women in the United States are eligible for preexposure prophylaxis. Although variable individual and structural forces affect each woman's medication adherence, and therefore the effectiveness of preexposure prophylaxis, women's health care providers are uniquely positioned to screen, counsel about, and offer preexposure prophylaxis. Shared decision-making provides a framework for these clinical encounters, allowing patients and clinicians to make health care decisions together based on scientific evidence and patient experiences. By incorporating fertility desires and contraceptive needs, health care providers effectively integrate sexual and reproductive health care. Including preexposure prophylaxis in women's health services requires health care provider training and attention to lessons learned from family planning and HIV prevention. Nevertheless, obstetrician-gynecologists have an opportunity to play a critical role in reducing sexual transmission of HIV in the United States by integrating preexposure prophylaxis education and provision into their practices.