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Article: Does hormonal contraception speed HIV progression?(Hormonal Contraceptive Use by HIV-infected Women)(Clinical report)
- Article from:
- Network
- Article date:
- June 22, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Family Health International. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Does the use of hormonal contraception during the early stages of HIV infection affect disease progression? Likewise, does its use during the later stages of infection affect disease progression?
These questions cannot be answered yet. The only evidence so far that hormonal contraceptive use might affect HIV disease progression comes from a prospective study conducted among sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya. (1) This evidence suggests that using hormonal contraception at the time of infection--before women know that they are infected--may accelerate HIV-related deterioration of the immune system and thus speed the natural course of the infection.
If other ...