BACKGROUND Unplanned pregnancy rates in South Africa are high. Effective use of contraception is therefore an essential public health intervention to prevent unplanned pregnancies. This study describes contraception use and its impact on pregnancy in women participating in HIV prevention research and its implications for public health practice. METHOD A secondary analysis of sociodemographic,...

BACKGROUND Globally, family planning services are being strengthened and the range of contraceptive choices expanded. Data on contraceptive coverage and service gaps could help to shape these initiatives. OBJECTIVE To assess contraception coverage in South Africa (SA) and identify underserved populations and aspects of programming that require strengthening. METHODS Data from a 2012 SA hous...

Community-based provision of injectable contraception continues to advance and is gaining wider acceptance-a major step toward meeting unmet need. However, fully addressing family planning need will require access to a much wider range of methods, including long-acting reversible contraception and permanent methods.

BACKGROUND For HIV-1-infected women, hormonal contraception prevents unintended pregnancy, excess maternal morbidity, and vertical HIV-1 transmission. Hormonal contraceptives are widely used but their effects on HIV-1 disease progression are unclear. METHODS In a prospective study among 2269 chronically HIV-1-infected women from seven countries in eastern and southern Africa and with enrollme...

OBJECTIVE To systematically review epidemiologic evidence assessing whether hormonal contraception alters the risk of HIV transmission from an HIV-positive woman to an HIV-negative male partner. DESIGN Systematic review. METHODS We included articles published or in press through December 15, 2011. We assessed studies with direct evidence on hormonal contraception use and HIV transmission, a...

These guidelines reflect emerging clinical and scientific advances as of the date issued and are subject to change.The information should not be construed as dictating an exclusive course of treatment or procedure to be followed. Local institutions can dictate amendments to these opinions.They should be well documented if modified at the local level. None of the contents may be reproduced in an...

1. What exactly are injectable contraceptives, specifically DMPA and NET-EN? DMPA, or depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, and NET-EN, short for norethisterone enanthate, are contraceptives that contain a kind of hormone called progestin. Both are given by injection. DMPA (widely known by its marketed name Depo-Provera) is administered every three months, while NET-EN (or Noristerat) is given eve...

Using data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 1998, this paper analyzed the duration of use of a contraceptive method and the reasons for its non-use given by former users of contraception. The results showed that the duration of use tended to be short, particularly so for the use of condom and withdrawal. Injectable contraceptives and periodic abstinence tended to be used for relativ...

OBJECTIVE The interval between births is associated with child survival in the developing world. We aimed to investigate associations between use of depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate and other reversible contraception and short birth intervals in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS Data from successive Demographic and Health Surveys undertaken in nine African countries were analyzed. Logistic regress...