[Knowledge and behavior of pregnant women towards HIV infection and its screening]

To assess knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women towards HIV infection and testing, and to compare them according to the outcome of the pregnancy (elective abortion vs delivery).

Between March 30 and April 26, 1992, all women ending their pregnancy in a medical center located in South Eastern France, were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire: 3,589 (89.6%) responded: 2,825 women who delivered and 764 who chose abortion.

61.7% of the women who delivered and 24.1% of the women who chose abortion declared having been tested for HIV during pregnancy (p < 0.001). Among women who reported not having been tested, very few did so because they refused the test (2% among women who deliver and 1.5% among women who terminated pregnancy). A total of 2.6% of women tested during prenatal care and 19.6% in the context of abortion did not know the result of their test (p < 0.001). Knowledge about HIV transmission among women who delivered dit not differ significantly from that of women who terminated pregnancy. However risky behaviors were more frequent among the latter group (38.8% vs 17.7%, p < 0.001).

This research confirms that systematic HIV screening during prenatal care was already diffused in France but remained mainly motive by foetal concerns and was not always associated with adequate preventive counselling, specially for migrant women and women with a low level of education. HIV screening and counselling is not guaranteed for women coming for elective abortion although they are more at risk for HIV infection. In spite of psychological difficulties, systematic proposal of HIV screening should be extended to the context of elective abortion.