From Policy to Pregnancy: Sexual Rights and Reproductive Options for People Living With HIV/AIDS

These articles are transcripts of presentations delivered at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria. Six women, each one a prominent, longtime advocate for HIV-positive women in her country, discuss the family-planning struggles women living with HIV/AIDS face -- and how these challenges might be met -- in cultures ranging from the traditional to the technologically advanced. The original session took place on July 21, 2010.¹

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Breaking the Taboos: Pregnancy Planning and Fertility Issues for People Living With HIV/AIDS in the United States
  By Dawn Averitt Bridge
• Challenges to the Reproductive and Sexual Rights of HIV-Positive Women in Mexico
  By Gloria Careaga
• The Canadian HIV Fertility Program: Improving Access to Pregnancy Planning Options for People Living With HIV
  By Shari Margolese
• Barriers and Recommendations in Providing Access to Reproductive Health Options for People Living With HIV/AIDS in Uganda
  By Lydia Mungherera, M.D.
• The Road to Reproductive Choices for People Living With HIV/AIDS in Germany and Western Europe
  By Ulrike Sonnenberg-Schwan
• What Are the Needs of HIV-Positive Women Who Want to Have Children in Lithuania?
  By Anna Maria Zakowicz
• Post-Presentation Discussion
• Helpful Resources
• Presenter Biographies

Introduction

The increased life expectancy and improved life quality of people living with HIV/AIDS in some regions --and the fact that globally many people living with HIV/AIDS are of reproductive age -- has led to the consideration of issues related to safe pregnancy planning and other reproductive options. Despite the intentions and desires of many people living with HIV/AIDS to have children, there remains a scarcity of safe pregnancy planning, conception, fertility and other reproductive options.

"It's of tremendous importance to talk and discuss about these access questions," says presenter Ulrike Sonnenberg-Schwan, a longtime advocate from Germany; " because family planning -- which ranges from the wish to have a child or the decision to have no child, about contraception, conception, fertility issues -- needs to be improved nearly all over the world."

The overall objectives of this session were to provide a comprehensive, multi-regional review of pregnancy planning and reproductive issues for people living with HIV/AIDS -- including current research and best practices from a variety of stakeholders.

Reference

1. Zakowicz AM, Bridge DA, Mungherera L, Sonnenberg-Schwan U, Careaga G, Margolese S. Improving access to pregnancy planning and reproductive options for people living with HIV/AIDS through evidence-based policy development and advocacy. In: Program and abstracts of the XVIII International AIDS Conference; July 18-23, 2010; Vienna, Austria. Abstract WEGS04.