Contraceptive practices in HIV seropositive females in Ireland

A questionnaire was administered to a cohort of 130 HIV seropositive women attending the Department of Genitourinary Medicine, St James's Hospital, Dublin, in order to establish their current contraceptive practices. Forty (42%) of the sexually active women did not use reliable contraception; 55 (57%) used a method reliable in fertility control only, and 21 (22%) used a method reliable in terms of both partner and congenital transmission. The intravenous drug users were less likely to use reliable contraception, 9 (39%), in comparison to the heterosexual group 14 (70%), P < 0.05. The heterosexual group were more likely to use condoms consistently, 7 (35%) in comparison to one (4%) of intravenous drug users, P < 0.02. Nineteen children, 3 borne to heterosexual mothers and 16 borne to intravenous drug-using mothers were HIV seropositive after 18 months.