A researcher at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Dr Anire Chima-Oduko, has called for urgent improvements in reproductive health services for women living with HIV, citing gaps in access, quality of care, and contraceptive uptake.
She made the call on Wednesday in Lagos while presenting findings from a study on pregnancy intentions and contraceptive needs among women living with HIV, noting that current service limitations are contributing to a high rate of unintended pregnancies.
“There is a need to strengthen reproductive health services for women living with HIV. Addressing gaps in access, quality, and provider communication is critical to improving outcomes,” she said.
Chima-Oduko said the study, co-researched by Prof Mobolanle Balogun, revealed awareness of contraception among respondents was high, with 97 per cent having heard of it and 94.6 per cent correctly defining it as a method of preventing pregnancy.
Chima-Oduko stated that the study, funded by an Early Career grant from the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, however, revealed that utilisation remains low.
She said, “While 63.3 per cent had ever used contraceptives, only 26.8 per cent are current users. This gap highlights unmet contraceptive needs despite widespread awareness.”
The researcher identified key factors influencing contraceptive use, including the number of children, the partner’s HIV status, and access to family planning services.
“Women who knew their partner’s HIV status and those with more children were significantly more likely to use contraception.
“Access to services and discussions with healthcare providers also play a major role,” she explained.
Chima-Oduko stressed that provider-client communication remains a major gap in service delivery.
“Women who did not receive adequate counselling were less likely to use contraceptives. This reflects missed opportunities during routine clinic visits,” she said.
She stated that the findings also revealed diverse fertility intentions among women living with HIV, with many still desiring children, while others prefer to limit childbearing.
“Women’s reproductive goals are not uniform. Yet, the high prevalence of unintended pregnancies shows a disconnect between intentions and effective contraceptive use,” she stated.
Chima-Oduko further identified systemic challenges, including limited access to family planning services, misinformation, and perceived inadequacy of care.
“Even within tertiary facilities, access is not optimal, and quality of care varies. This suggests structural barriers and gaps in service delivery,” she said.
She recommended a multi-level approach to address the challenges, including improving access to family planning, strengthening routine counselling, enhancing service quality, and addressing misinformation.
“We must adopt client-centred approaches that align services with women’s reproductive intentions.
“Improving communication and ensuring consistent access to quality services will increase contraceptive uptake,” she said.
Chima-Oduko added that integrating reproductive health services within HIV care and routinely assessing women’s fertility intentions would help bridge existing gaps.
“Strengthening reproductive health services is essential to reducing unintended pregnancies and improving overall health outcomes for women living with HIV,” she said.
