Factors Associated with Pregnancy Occurrence Among Known HIV Positive Women In Rangwe Sub-County, Homa Bay County, Kenya

Abstract/Overview

Globally, the proportions of women of reproductive age living with HIV vary between regions, with significantly higher proportions in sub-Saharan Africa. The scale-up of multiple-drug antiretroviral therapy in Africa has changed childbearing dynamics for HIV-positive women, with an impact on pregnancy incidence, although there is little understanding of the factors associated with pregnancy incidence among these women. This descriptive cross-sectional study investigated the incidence of pregnancy among HIV positive women in Rangwe Sub-County, and identified the associated personal, medical and community factors, using semi-structured questionnaires administered to 244 women on antiretroviral therapy. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression using SPSS v.23 (a=0.05), while qualitative data was subjected to thematic analysis. Over 95% of the women had conceived after being diagnosed HIV positive. Age, marital status and CD4 cell count were significantly associated with pregnancy incidence (p0.05). Women with undetectable viral load (HIV RNA