Sexual and Reproductive Health Services and HIV Testing: Perspectives and Experiences of Women and Men Living with HIV and AIDS

Sexual relations and childbearing decisions of HIV-discordant couples: an exploratory study in South Africa and Tanzania

“…2,3,44,45 Sexual and reproductive health needs are frequently not addressed by health care providers, and it is difficult for HIV-positive women to get appropriate information and support from family planning clinics or maternity services. 20,22,36,46,47 Health worker attitudes and behaviour play a major role in the sexual health and childbearing decisions of people with HIV. 36,[48][49][50] Policy debates have also largely ignored the sexuality of people living with HIV, with programmes limited to helping pregnant women avoid transmitting the virus to their children.…”

“…[14][15][16][17][18][19] However, providing reproductive assistance to discordant couples is often not feasible in resource-constrained settings and there has been little policy and programmatic focus or guidance to ensure access to these sexual and reproductive health services within a human rights framework. [20][21][22] In 2007, the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+) requested the South African Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) to conduct an exploratory study to gather information about the psychosocial experiences of couples in long-term HIV serodiscordant relationships. The purpose of the study was to inform the HIV prevention and advocacy programmes of GNP+ and others of the challenges faced by individuals in discordant relationships, and the support that partners are able to provide to one another to protect their mutual health.…”

Women’s expectations of treatment and care after an antenatal HIV diagnosis in Lilongwe, Malawi

“…A focus on the experiences of service users is important, as their goals and motivations often differ from the perspectives of those who create and deliver services. [16][17][18] …”

A health education programme to enhance the knowledge and communication skills of health care workers who serve people living with HIV / AIDS on HAART in Namibia

“…For PLWHA on HAART to live positively, they need to be provided with relevant information that addresses their health concerns without compromising their health. This information should not only focus on what they should be doing but also on what they should not be doing (Bell, Mtembu & O'Sullivan, 2007). The study findings demonstrate that PLWHA on HAART experience a lack of information about their sexual needs.…”