Hormonal contraceptive methods and HIV: research gaps and programmatic priorities (original) (raw)
Related papers
Contraception, 2014
Whether use of various types of hormonal contraception (HC) affect risk of HIV acquisition is a critical question for women's health. For this systematic review, we identified 22 studies published by January 15, 2014 which met inclusion criteria; we classified thirteen studies as having severe methodological limitations, and nine studies as "informative but with important limitations". Overall, data do not support an association between use of oral contraceptives and increased risk of HIV acquisition. Uncertainty persists regarding whether an association exists between depotmedroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) use and risk of HIV acquisition. Most studies suggested no significantly increased HIV risk with norethisterone enanthate (NET-EN) use, but when assessed in the same study, point estimates for NET-EN tended to be larger than for DMPA, though 95% confidence intervals overlapped substantially. No data have suggested significantly increased risk of HIV acquisition with use of implants, though data were limited. No data are available on the relationship between use of contraceptive patches, rings, or hormonal intrauterine devices and risk of HIV acquisition. Women choosing progestin-only injectable contraceptives such as DMPA or NET-EN should be informed of the current uncertainty regarding whether use of these methods increases risk of HIV acquisition, and like all women at risk of HIV, should be empowered to access and use condoms and other HIV preventative measures. Programs, practitioners, and women urgently need guidance on how to maximize health with respect to avoiding both unintended pregnancy and HIV given inconclusive or limited data for certain HC methods.
2014
Whether use of various types of hormonal contraception (HC) affect risk of HIV acquisition is a critical question for women's health. For this systematic review, we identified 22 studies published by January 15, 2014 which met inclusion criteria; we classified thirteen studies as having severe methodological limitations, and nine studies as "informative but with important limitations". Overall, data do not support an association between use of oral contraceptives and increased risk of HIV acquisition. Uncertainty persists regarding whether an association exists between depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) use and risk of HIV acquisition. Most studies suggested no significantly increased HIV risk with norethisterone enanthate (NET-EN) use, but when assessed in the same study, point estimates for NET-EN tended to be larger than for DMPA, though 95% confidence intervals overlapped substantially. No data have suggested significantly increased risk of HIV acquisition with use of implants, though data were limited. No data are available on the relationship between use of contraceptive patches, rings, or hormonal intrauterine devices and risk of HIV acquisition. Women choosing progestin-only injectable contraceptives such as DMPA or NET-EN should be informed of the current uncertainty regarding whether use of these methods increases risk of HIV acquisition, and like all women at risk of HIV, should be empowered to access and use condoms and other HIV preventative measures. Programs, practitioners, and women urgently need guidance on how to maximize health with respect to avoiding both unintended pregnancy and HIV given inconclusive or limited data for certain HC methods.
Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), 2016
Objective and design: Some studies suggest that specific hormonal contraceptive methods [particularly depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA)] may increase women's HIV acquisition risk. We updated a systematic review to incorporate recent epidemiological data. Methods: We searched for articles published between 15 January 2014 and 15 January 2016 and hand-searched reference lists. We identified longitudinal studies comparing users of a specific hormonal contraceptive method against either nonusers of hormonal contraception or users of another specific hormonal contraceptive method. We added newly identified studies to those in the previous review, assessed study quality, created forest plots to display results, and conducted a meta-analysis for data on DMPA versus non-use of hormonal contraception. Results: We identified 10 new reports of which five were considered 'unlikely to inform the primary question'. We focus on the other five reports, along with nine from the previous review, which were considered 'informative but with important limitations'. The preponderance of data for oral contraceptive pills, injectable norethisterone enanthate, and levonorgestrel implants do not suggest an association with HIV acquisition, though data for implants are limited. The new, higher quality studies on DMPA (or nondisaggregated injectables), which had mixed results in terms of statistical significance, had hazard ratios between 1.2 and 1.7, consistent with our meta-analytic estimate for all higher quality studies of hazard ratio 1.4. Conclusion: Although confounding in these observational data cannot be excluded, new information increases concerns about DMPA and HIV acquisition risk in women. If the association is causal, the magnitude of effect is likely hazard ratio 1.5 or less. Data for other hormonal contraceptive methods, including norethisterone enanthate, are largely reassuring.
AIDS, 2009
The authors concluded that evidence about the safety of hormonal and intrauterine contraceptive use among HIVinfected women remained limited but was generally reassuring in terms of adverse health effects, disease transmission to uninfected partners and disease progression; however, one trial raised concerns about enhanced disease progression among women using hormonal contraception. The authors' conclusions are suitably cautious and appear appropriate. Searching PubMed was searched to August 2009 for articles published in peer-reviewed journals. There were no language restrictions. Search terms were reported. Reference lists of retrieved articles and review articles were searched. Study selection Clinical trials and observational studies that evaluated use of hormonal or intrauterine contraceptives in HIV-infected women were eligible for inclusion. Studies had to report HIV progression, other adverse health events or sexual transmission to uninfected partners. Included studies considered combined oral contraceptive, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, hormonal contraceptive and intrauterine devices in HIV-infected women. Women who were post-partum, post-abortion and commercial sex workers were included. Study designs included randomised controlled trial (RCT), cohort, cross-sectional, before-andafter study and descriptive. Outcomes reported included cervical HIV, shedding of HIV RNA (ribonucleic acid), CD4 cell count (CD4 is a glycoprotein on the surface of helper T cells that serves as a receptor for HIV), changes in HIV RNA, rate of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), bleeding, side effects and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The authors did not state how many reviewers performed study selection. Assessment of study quality Study quality was assessed using the United States Preventive Services Task Force scale. The authors stated that all authors were involved in assessing the evidence.
Hormonal contraception and HIV acquisition among women: an updated systematic review
BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health
ObjectiveTo update a 2016 systematic review on hormonal contraception use and HIV acquisition.MethodsWe searched Pubmed and Embase between 15 January 2016 and 26 June 2019 for longitudinal studies comparing incident HIV infection among women using a hormonal contraceptive method and either non-users or users of another specific hormonal contraceptive method. We extracted information from newly identified studies, assessed study quality, and updated forest plots and meta-analyses.ResultsIn addition to 31 previously included studies, five more were identified; three provided higher quality evidence. A randomised clinical trial (RCT) found no statistically significant differences in HIV risk among users of intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-IM), levonorgestrel implant (LNG implant) or the copper intrauterine device (Cu-IUD). An observational study found no statistically significant differences in HIV risk among women using DMPA, norethisterone enanthate (NET-EN), imp...
Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 2014
Do injectable and oral contraceptives increase the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition in women? After adjusting for confounders, evidence of a significantly increased risk of HIV remained for women using injectable depo-medroxyprogesterone (DMPA) (hazard ratio = 1.49, 95% confidence interval (1.06-2.08)) but not for injectable norethisterone-enanthate (Net-En) or oral contraceptive pills (OC). An association between the use of some types of hormonal contraception (HC) methods and an increased risk of HIV, possibly through changes in the genital tract environment and alterations in the immune response, has been previously observed, although not consistently. A recent systematic review of these studies has highlighted the need for more definitive evidence. A secondary data analysis of the MDP301 phase 3 microbicide trial was conducted to estimate the effects of use of different methods of HC on the risk of HIV acquisition in women. HIV-negative women (n = 8663) wit...
The Lancet
Background Observational and laboratory studies suggest that some hormonal contraceptive methods, particularly intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-IM), might increase women's susceptibility to HIV acquisition. We aimed to compare DMPA-IM, a copper intrauterine device (IUD), and a levonorgestrel (LNG) implant among African women seeking effective contraception and living in areas of high HIV incidence. Methods We did a randomised, multicentre, open-label trial across 12 research sites in eSwatini, Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia. We included HIV-seronegative women aged 16-35 years who were seeking effective contraception, had no medical contraindications to the trial contraceptive methods, agreed to use the assigned method for 18 months, and reported not using injectable, intrauterine, or implantable contraception for the previous 6 months. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive an injection of 150 mg/mL DMPA-IM every 3 months, a copper IUD, or a LNG implant with random block sizes between 15 and 30, stratified by site. Participants were assigned using an online randomisation system, which was accessed for each randomisation by study staff at each site. The primary endpoint was incident HIV infection in the modified intention-to-treat population, including all randomised participants who were HIV negative at enrolment and who contributed at least one HIV test. The primary safety endpoint was any serious adverse event or any adverse event resulting in method discontinuation, until the trial exit visit at 18 months and was assessed in all enrolled and randomly assigned women. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02550067.
Contraception, 2018
Injectable contraceptives are the most widely used method of contraception in sub-Saharan Africa among married or in-union women aged 15-44 [1]. Injectable contraceptive use grew more quickly than use of any other contraceptive method between 1994 and 2015: from 2% to 7% of the share of all contraceptive use (among married or in-union women) worldwide, and from 17% to 38% of the share of all contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa [1]. Injectables are quick to administer, highly effective, do not require daily user action, and can be used clandestinely [2]. Like all contraceptive methods, injectables can empower women and couples to achieve their reproductive goals, reduce unintended pregnancy, and prevent maternal morbidity and mortality [3]. Concerning observational data suggest that women who use the most common type of injectable contraception, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), may be at increased risk of HIV acquisition compared to women not using hormonal contraception [4]. In March 2017, the World Health Organization modified the Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use to indicate that women at high risk of HIV acquisition may use progestin
Contraception in the context of HIV/AIDS: a review
African journal of reproductive health, 2011
Over 50% of the 33.3 million HIV-positive persons are women within the reproductive age group. With increasing availability and use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the prognosis, life expectancy and quality of life of infected persons has improved. HIV-positive women, like their uninfected counterparts, may desire to plan pregnancies, limit their families, or avoid pregnancy. The effective use of contraception by HIV-positive clients can contribute significantly to reduction in both sexual and vertical transmission of the virus. HIV-positive clients can use most of the available contraception methods including barrier, hormonal, intrauterine devices and sterilization. However, some antiretroviral drugs interact with hormonal contraceptives with potentials for reduction in efficacy. Dual protection with concomitant use of a more effective contraceptive method and male or female condom to prevent HIV and Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is the standard. It is ne...