risk factors impacting on the spread of hiv among pregnant women ...

RISK FACTORS IMPACTING ON THE SPREAD OF HIV AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
After HIV diagnosis, there were marked positive behavioural changes among women with respect to
HIV infection/transmission.
To sum up, there is relatively small <strong>risk</strong> of further spread of HIV in Yekaterinburg, from the women
surveyed, mainly through casual sexual contacts.
IRKUTSK
The HIV-positive group in Irkutsk includes young women of reproductive age (mean age 22.9
years), with secondary vocational education, in registered or common-law marriage. The mean age
at sexual debut was 17.1 years.
Before being diagnosed with HIV, the mean number of sexual partners was relatively low: 3.4. Every
third woman had only one regular partner; only every fourth had non-regular partners (mean number
1.0). The ratio of protected to unprotected sexual contacts was approximately 1:1 with regular
partners and 1:4 with non-regular partners. The proportion of women engaging in sex with commercial
partners is insignificant (approximately every fiftieth); the ratio of protected to unprotected
sexual contact with these partners is about 1:2. Very few had experienced sexual violence before
being diagnosed with HIV.
The insignificant <strong>risk</strong> in sexual behaviour among these women is indirectly confirmed by the STI
diagnoses (only every eighth woman during the period prior to HIV diagnosis had candidiasis; other
STI is infrequent). A large proportion of pregnancies at the time of HIV diagnosis were planned.
Before being diagnosed, only every fourth woman had had sexual contact with known IDUs, however,
every tenth woman had had partners known to be HIV-positive.
About every seventh woman in the Irkutsk group had injected drugs before HIV diagnosis. Over half
the female IDUs had used someone else’s injecting equipment at least occasionally; every second
one passed her needles and syringes to other people for use.
There were some changes in sexual behaviour among HIV-positive women after diagnosis. The proportion
of persons engaging in penetrative sex decreased (which could be attributed to pregnancy,
childbirth and care of infants) and so did the total number of sexual partners (practically all had only
one partner). The proportion of women engaging in sex with non-regular partners fell by five times.
Commercial sexual contact stopped almost completely. The proportion of women who “always”
and “never” used condoms increased.
Every second female IDU continued injecting drugs after diagnosis, with equipment-sharing
becoming more frequent. High-<strong>risk</strong> drug-injecting behaviour after HIV diagnosis is confirmed by
the fact that hepatitis C was discovered in every second female IDU.
Thus, the investigation into the socio-demographic and behavioural status of women at the time of
diagnosis showed that every seventh HIV-positive woman in Irkutsk was an IDU, every fourth had
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