Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026
05:46
Rapid Screening of HIV Reverse Transcriptase and Integrase Inhibitors
Published on: April 9, 2014
From effectiveness to impact: contraception as an HIV prevention intervention
R Wilcher1, T Petruney, H W Reynolds
1Family Health International, P O Box 13950, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA. rwilcher@fhi.org
Sexually Transmitted Infections
|October 1, 2008
Summary
Preventing pregnancies in HIV-infected women through increased contraceptive use is an underutilized HIV prevention strategy. Integrating family planning and HIV services can reduce HIV-positive births, but coordination and evaluation remain challenges.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Disease Prevention
- Reproductive Health
Background:
- Mother-to-child transmission of HIV (HIV-MTCT) prevention has primarily focused on antiretroviral prophylaxis for pregnant women.
- Voluntary contraceptive use among HIV-infected women is an underutilized but effective strategy to reduce HIV-positive births.
- This review examines opportunities and obstacles for integrating contraceptive services into HIV prevention efforts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the potential of integrating family planning (FP) services with HIV programs for effective HIV prevention.
- To identify facilitators and impediments to integrated service delivery at various levels.
Main Methods:
- A review of international, country, and service delivery levels concerning FP and HIV program integration.
- Specific focus on the integration of family planning services and HIV programs as an intervention.
Main Results:
- Policy support exists for FP and HIV program integration, yet HIV funding often overlooks contraception's role.
- Separate funding and vertical organizational structures hinder inter-departmental coordination and limit addressing contraceptive needs of HIV-positive clients.
- Integrated FP and HIV projects are emerging, documenting factors influencing service delivery.
Conclusions:
- Despite policy support, the impact of contraception on HIV prevention is under-resourced and uncoordinated.
- Effective integration requires overcoming structural and financial barriers to improve contraceptive uptake and reduce HIV-positive births.
- Further evaluation of integrated projects is needed to demonstrate impact on contraceptive uptake and prevention of HIV-positive births.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Retrovirus Life Cycles
Retroviruses have a single-stranded RNA genome that undergoes a special form of replication. Once the retrovirus has entered the host cell, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase synthesizes double-stranded DNA from the retroviral RNA genome. This DNA copy of the genome is then integrated into the host’s genome inside the nucleus via an enzyme called integrase. Consequently, the retroviral genome is transcribed into RNA whenever the host’s genome is transcribed, allowing the retrovirus to...
01:22Birth Control Methods
Vasectomy is a surgical form of male sterilization that involves severing and sealing the vasa deferentia, preventing sperm from mixing with semen during ejaculation. Because a vasectomy does not impact the testes' ability to produce testosterone, hormone levels, libido, and sexual function generally remain unchanged. While vasectomy is highly effective in preventing pregnancy, with a success rate near 99.85%, rare cases of recanalization (spontaneous reconnection) can occur. Although vasectomy...
01:26Sexually Transmitted Infections
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diseases transmitted primarily through unsafe sexual interactions. Bacteria, viruses, or parasites cause them and can result in severe health complications if untreated.ChlamydiaThe bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for the disease Chlamydia, the most common STI in the United States. This peculiar pathogen requires human cells to reproduce, residing intracellularly. The initial infection often goes unnoticed because it typically does not...
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Biopharmaceutical studies constitute a vital field aiming to enhance drug delivery methods and refine therapeutic approaches, drawing upon diverse interdisciplinary knowledge. In research methodologies, the choice between controlled and non-controlled studies significantly influences the study's reliability and accuracy.
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
01:21Intrauterine Drug Delivery Systems
Controlled-release systems for intravaginal and intrauterine drug delivery have been developed primarily for the administration of contraceptive steroid hormones. These delivery routes circumvent first-pass hepatic metabolism, thereby enhancing bioavailability and allowing for reduced systemic dosages compared to oral administration. Such approaches contribute to improved therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance, particularly in long-term contraceptive regimens.Intravaginal Drug Delivery...
01:22Dose-Response Relationship: Potency and Efficacy
The potency of a drug is the measure of its ability to produce a biological response and can be compared by looking at the half-maximum effective concentration or EC50 values of different drugs. A lower EC50 value indicates higher potency of the drug. In the dose–response curve of two antihypertensive drugs, candesartan and irbesartan, a significant difference is observed in their EC50 values. A lower EC50 value for candesartan indicates that it is more potent than irbesartan, as it produces...