Contraceptive implant failures among women using antiretroviral therapy in western Kenya: a retrospective cohort study

Background: Women living with HIV have the right to choose whether, when and how many children to have. Access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and contraceptives, including implants, continues to increase due to a multitude of efforts. In Kenya, 4.8% of adults are living with HIV, and in 2017, 54% were receiving an efavirenz-based ART regimen. Meanwhile, 16.1% of all Kenyan married (and 10.4% of unmarried) women used implants. Studies have reported drug interactions leading to contraceptive failures among implant users on ART. This retrospective record review aimed to determine unintentional pregnancy rates among women 15-49 years of age, living with HIV and concurrently using implants and ART in western Kenya between 2011 and 2015. Methods: We reviewed charts of women with more than three months of concurrent implant and ART use. Implant failure was defined as implant removal due to pregnancy or birth after implant placement, but prior to scheduled removal date. The incidence of unintended pregnancy was calculated by woman-years at risk, assuming a constant rate. Results: Data from 1,152 charts were abstracted, resulting in 1,190 implant and ART combinations. We identified 115 pregnancies, yielding a pregnancy incidence rate of 6.32 (5.27–7.59), with 9.26 among ETG and 4.74 among LNG implant users, respectively. No pregnancies were recorded among women on non-NNRTI-based regimens, whereas pregnancy rates for efavirenz and nevirapine-containing regimens were similar, at 6.41 (4.70–8.73) and 6.44 (5.13–8.07), respectively. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the implications of drug interaction on women’s choices for contraception.

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Contraceptive implant failures among women using antiretroviral therapy in western Kenya: a retrospective cohort study

Gates Open Research ◽

10.12688/gatesopenres.12975.2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 1482

Author(s):

Anne Pfitzer ◽

Jacqueline Wille ◽

Jonesmus Wambua ◽

Stacie C Stender ◽

Molly Strachan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antiretroviral Therapy ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Pregnancy Rates ◽

Western Kenya ◽

Women Living With Hiv ◽

Constant Rate ◽

Contraceptive Implant ◽

The Right ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Record Review

Background: Women living with HIV have the right to choose whether, when and how many children to have. Access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and contraceptives, including implants, continues to increase in Kenya. Studies have reported drug-drug interactions leading to contraceptive failures among implant users on ART. This retrospective record review aimed to determine unintentional pregnancy rates among women 15-49 years of age, living with HIV and concurrently using implants and ART in western Kenya between 2011 and 2015. Methods: We reviewed charts of women with more than three months of concurrent implant and ART use. Implant failure was defined as implant removal due to pregnancy or birth after implant placement, but prior to scheduled removal date. The incidence of contraceptive failure was calculated by woman-years at risk, assuming a constant rate. Results: Data from 1,152 charts were abstracted, resulting in 1,190 implant and ART combinations. We identified 115 pregnancies, yielding a pregnancy incidence rate of 6.32 (5.27–7.59), with 9.26 among ETG and 4.74 among LNG implant users, respectively. Pregnancy incidence rates did not differ between EFV- and NVP-based regimens (IRR=1.00, CI: 0.71-1.43). No pregnancies were recorded among women on PI-based regimens, whereas pregnancy rates for efavirenz and nevirapine-containing regimens were similar, at 6.41 (4.70–8.73) and 6.44 (5.13–8.07), respectively. Pregnancy rates also differed significantly by implant type, with LNG implant users half as likely to experience pregnancy as ETG implant users (0.51, CI: 0.33-0.79, p>0.01). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the implications of drug-drug interaction on women’s choices for contraception.

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Pregnancies among women living with HIV using contraceptives and antiretroviral therapy in western Kenya: a retrospective, cohort study

BMC Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12916-021-02043-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rena C. Patel ◽

Gustavo Amorim ◽

Beatrice Jakait ◽

Bryan E. Shepherd ◽

A. Rain Mocello ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Antiretroviral Therapy ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Chart Review ◽

Hiv Care ◽

Western Kenya ◽

Women Living With Hiv ◽

Validation Sampling ◽

Living With Hiv

Abstract Background Preventing unintended pregnancies is paramount for women living with HIV (WLHIV). Previous studies have suggested that efavirenz-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces contraceptive effectiveness of implants, but there are uncertainties regarding the quality of the electronic medical record (EMR) data used in these prior studies. Methods We conducted a retrospective, cohort study of EMR data from 2011 to 2015 among WLHIV of reproductive age accessing HIV care in public facilities in western Kenya. We validated a large subsample of records with manual chart review and telephone interviews. We estimated adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs) with Poisson regression accounting for the validation sampling using inverse probability weighting and generalized raking. Results A total of 85,324 women contributed a total of 170,845 women-years (w-y) of observation time; a subset of 5080 women had their charts reviewed, and 1285 underwent interviews. Among implant users, the aIRR of pregnancy for efavirenz- vs. nevirapine-containing ART was 1.9 (95% CI 1.6, 2.4) using EMR data only and 3.2 (95% CI 1.8, 5.7) when additionally using both chart review and interview validated data. Among efavirenz users, the aIRR of pregnancy for depomedroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) vs. implant use was 1.8 (95% CI 1.5, 2.1) in EMR only and 2.4 (95% CI 1.0, 6.1) using validated data. Conclusion Pregnancy rates are higher when contraceptive implants are concomitantly used with efavirenz-containing ART, though rates were similar to leading alternative contraceptive methods such as DMPA. Our data provides policymakers, program staff, and WLHIV greater confidence in guiding their decision-making around contraceptive and ART options. Our novel, 3-phase validation sampling provides an innovative tool for using routine EMR data to improve the robustness of data quality.

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Social Vulnerability among Foreign-Born Pregnant Women and Maternal Virologic Control of HIV

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1721714 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ashish Premkumar ◽

Lynn M. Yee ◽

Lia Benes ◽

Emily S. Miller

Keyword(s):

Antiretroviral Therapy ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Median Time ◽

Social Vulnerability ◽

Viral Suppression ◽

Foreign Born ◽

Women Living With Hiv ◽

Virologic Control ◽

Clinical Records ◽

Living With Hiv

Objective The aim of this study was to assess whether social vulnerability among foreign-born pregnant women living with HIV is associated with maternal viremia during pregnancy. Study Design This retrospective cohort study included all foreign-born pregnant women living with HIV who received prenatal care in a multidisciplinary prenatal clinic between 2009 and 2018. A licensed clinical social worker evaluated all women and kept detailed clinical records on immigration status and social support. Social vulnerability was defined as both living in the United States for less than 5 years and reporting no family or friends for support. The primary outcome was evidence of viral non-suppression after achievement of initial suppression. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of women who required > 12 weeks after starting antiretroviral therapy to achieve viral suppression, median time to first viral suppression (in weeks) after initiation of antiretroviral therapy, and the proportion who missed ≥ 5 doses of antiretroviral therapy. Bivariable analyses were performed. Results A total of 111 foreign-born women were eligible for analysis, of whom 25 (23%) were classified as socially vulnerable. Social and clinical characteristics of women diverged by social vulnerability categorization but no differences reached statistical significance. On bivariable analysis, socially-vulnerable women were at increased risk for needing > 12 weeks to achieve viral suppression (relative risk: 1.78, 95% confidence interval: 1.18–2.67), though there was no association with missing ≥ 5 doses of antiretroviral therapy or median time to viral suppression after initiation of antiretroviral therapy. Conclusion Among foreign-born, pregnant women living with HIV, markers of virologic control during pregnancy were noted to be worse among socially-vulnerable women. Insofar as maternal viremia is the predominant driver of perinatal transmission, closer clinical surveillance and support may be indicated in this population. Key Points

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