Integration of Family Planning and HIV/AIDS Services

In an era when approximately 40 million adults and children are living with HIV/AIDS and women of childbearing age account for nearly half of the infected population, family planning has a critical role to play in curbing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. For both HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals, contraceptive barrier methods such as the male and female condom provide dual protection against unintended pregnancy and HIV transmission. Among HIV-infected women, the prevention of unintended pregnancies is essential for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and reducing the number of children orphaned when parents die of AIDS-related illnesses.  

FHI is exploring challenges to and options for addressing the contraceptive needs of individuals and couples in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Programmatic strategies for strengthening linkages between family planning and HIV/AIDS services such as voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), and antiretroviral treatment (ART) are being considered. Moreover, FHI is conducting research on the safety and appropriateness of various contraceptive methods for HIV-infected individuals, including individuals using ART. Integrated family planning and HIV/AIDS services have the potential to create synergistic relationships between programs, reduce missed opportunities, and ultimately maximize the effectiveness and impact of services by providing comprehensive reproductive health care that holistically addresses clients' dual risks of HIV infection and unintended pregnancy.

Selected Materials

Family Health Research: Integrating Services (2007, vol. 1. no. 1) 

Training Module: Contraception for Women and Couples with HIV

Integration of Family Planning into VCT Services in Kenya:

• Report: Integrating Family Planning Services into HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centers in Kenya: Progress to Date and Lessons Learned (2007)
• Report: Integrating Family Planning Services into Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centers in Kenya: Operations Research Results (2007)
• Brief: Evaluating the Integration of Family Planning and Voluntary Counseling and Testing in Kenya (2007)
• Brief: Integrating Family Planning and Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services in Kenya (2004)
• Brief: Preparedness of Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centers in Kenya to Provide Family Planning (2003)
• Report: Assessment of VCT Centers in Kenya: potential demand, acceptability, readiness, and feasibility of integrating family planning services into VCT (2003, PDF, 189KB)

Contraception as HIV Prevention:

• Contraception Cost-Effective for Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (2006)
• Contraception to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (2006)

HIV Counseling and Testing for Youth: A Handbook for Providers (2007)

Country Assessment: Family Planning Needs in the Context of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic

• Kenya (2005, PDF, 240KB)
• South Africa (2005, PDF, 257KB)
• Zimbabwe (2005, PDF, 255KB)

Integrating Family Planning and Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services in Ghana: A Rapid Programmatic Assessment (2005, PDF, 135KB)

Family Planning and the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV: A Review of the Literature (2004, PDF, 456KB)

Hormonal Contraception and HIV: An Update (2004)

Network: Integrating Services
(2004, Volume 23, Number 3)

Bangkok satellite session presentations (2004)