Magister Curationis - MCur / Depo-Provera, an injectable contraceptive, is utilized by about 30% of married women in Malawi. Most women have reported their preference to use Depo-Provera due to its effectiveness in preventing pregnancy, reversibility and easy to use since it is given once at 12-weeks intervals. Despite the method having such advantages, it has menstrual effects, and one of the major concerns for women, particularly in Africa, is amenorrhea. In Malawi, 40% of Depo-Provera users report experiencing amenorrhea after one year of use. Despite the concern for amenorrhea, some women have continued using the method. Literature shows that there is limited information on women's experiences of amenorrhea following use of Depo-Provera. A descriptive phenomenological research design was used to explore and describe women’s experiences of amenorrhea following use of Depo-Provera in order to understand how women experience amenorrhea and give meaning to the experience. Data were collected through in-depth unstructured interviews with six women, who were selected using purposive sampling. The interviews were conducted in Tumbuka language. Data analysis was done using Colaizzi’s method of analyzing descriptive phenomenological data. Five themes and some sub-themes emerged from data analysis. The themes were: "Lack of knowledge on cause of amenorrhea", "Fear of pregnancy", "Misconceptions associated with Depo-Provera Induced Amenorrhea", "Lack of proper counseling on amenorrhea resulting from Depo-Provera use" and "Amenorrhea not perceived as a problem when midwives provide adequate information". The themes showed that women accessing family planning services from Chitipa district hospital were not provided with information on amenorrhea resulting from using Depo- Provera. Hence, they expressed fear when they experienced the side effect. Participants stated that they were afraid of becoming infertile after using the family planning method, getting pregnant as well as amenorrhea itself. Their intention to discontinue using the method was largely associated with negative rumors, beliefs and misconceptions. The conclusion of the study is that there is need for midwives to provide information on amenorrhea resulting from Depo-Provera use. This will assist clients to understand that amenorrhea could occur as a side effect, and hence improve continued utilization of the method.

Objectif : Étudier l'association entre l’utilisation de contraceptifs hormonaux et le risque d'acquisition du VIH-1 chez les femmes au Malawi, en Afrique du Sud, en Zambie et au Zimbabwe. Devis : Analyses secondaires de 2887 femmes âgées de 17-55 ans ayant participé à l’étude HPTN 035, une étude de phase II/IIb sur l’efficacité de deux gels microbicides pour prévenir la transmission du VIH chez les femmes à risque. Méthodes : L'association entre l'utilisation de contraceptifs hormonaux et le risque d'acquisition du VIH-1 a été évaluée en utilisant des modèles de Cox. Des risques relatifs sont estimés où le groupe de référence est celui des femmes qui n’utilisent pas de contraceptifs hormonaux. De plus, un modèle multivarié de Cox est utilisé afin de contrôler pour les facteurs potentiellement confondants. Résultats : Les contraceptifs injectables ont été utilisés par 52,1% des femmes, alors que les contraceptifs oraux ont été utilisés par 20,7% de celles-ci. Pendant l'étude, il y a eu 192 séroconversions. L'incidence observée du VIH était de 2,28; 4,19 et 4,69 pour 100 personne-années pour les contraceptifs oraux, injectables et non hormonaux, respectivement. Lors de l’analyse multivariée, nous n'avons trouvé aucune association significative entre l’usage des contraceptifs hormonaux et l’acquisition du VIH-1. Le risque relatif ajusté (RRa) pour les contraceptifs oraux est de 0,573 (IC de 95% : [0,31-1,06]) et 0,981 (IC de 95% : [0,69 ; 1,39]) pour les contraceptifs injectables. Conclusions : Bien que cette étude ne démontre pas d’association entre l’usage des contraceptifs hormonaux et le VIH-1, nous concluons toutefois que ces méthodes de contraception ne protègent pas contre le VIH-1, et il est ainsi recommandé aux femmes utilisant des hormones contraceptives de toujours utiliser le condom pour prévenir l'infection au VIH-1. / Objective: To investigate the association between the use of hormonal contraceptive and the risk of acquiring HIV-1 infection in women from Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Design: Secondary analyses of 2887 women aged 17-55 years who participated in the HPTN 035 trial, a Phase II/IIb trial on the efficacy of two microbicide gels to prevent HIV transmission in women at risk in Africa. Methods: The association between the use of hormonal contraceptive and the risk of acquiring HIV-1 was evaluated using Cox proportionnal models. Relative risks of exposed women were estimated using as a reference group the women who do not use hormonal contraceptives. In addition, a multivariate Cox model was used to control for potentially confounding factors. Results: Injectable contraceptives were used by 52.1 % of women, while oral contraceptives were used by 20.7% of them. During the study, there were 192 seroconversions. The observed HIV-1 incidence was 2.28, 4.19 and 4.69 per 100 woman-years for oral, injectable and non-hormonal contraceptive users, respectively. In multivariate analysis, we found no significant association between the use of hormonal contraceptives and HIV-1 acquisition. The adjusted relative risk (aRR) for oral contraceptives was 0.573 (95% CI: [0.31 to 1.06]) and 0.981 (95% CI: [0.69, 1.39]) for injectable contraceptives. Conclusions: Although this study did not demonstrate an association between hormonal contraceptive use and the risk of HIV-1 infection, we conclude, however, that these methods of contraception do not protect against HIV-1, and it is thus recommended that women using contraceptive hormones always use condoms to prevent HIV-1.