Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - July 16, 2003
Pill ills: Hormonal contraceptives increase the risks of women being infected with the HI virus, according to research conducted among prostitutes that was presented to the Second International Aids Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Paris on July 14.
Investigators presented the results of a 10-year study on a group of prostitutes in Mombasa, Kenya.
Hormonal contraceptives have been shown to cause systematic changes in the genital tract that have the potential to interact with HIV and increase the chance of infection.
The study involved 1 272 HIV-negative prostitutes who attended a clinic every month for screenings and HIV tests. A total of 248 women were infected by HIV during the study. Unprotected vaginal sex was the only HIV risk factor reported by almost all the women. Other factors included sexual behaviour, condom use and sexually transmitted infections.
The researchers found the risk to be as great whether the women received birth control pills or injections.
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