This research seeks to contribute to the debate on the state infringing upon the responsibilities and rights of parents with regards to the reproductive health of their children. The qualitative method of research is used. The researcher analysed the right of the child to participate in conjunction with best interests of the child, as well as the reproductive rights of children. Furthermore, the argument is based on the provisions of the South African legislation that deals with the reproductive rights of children. This legislation includes the Children's Act 38 of 2005 and the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act 92 of 1996. The crux of the discussion is on access to contraceptives provided to children without parental consent, as it is provided for in section 134 of the Children's Act 38 of 2005, as well as the lack of consent needed in the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act 92 of 1996 for a girl with no specification of age. The debate is on the fact that the responsibilities and rights that parents have towards their children are not considered. They are not involved in the major decisions that the children who are under their care and guidance have to make. Due to this finding, it has been recommended that it is very imperative to allow the parents to be involved in matters that pertain to their children's reproductive rights. This means that as children are informed about their reproductive rights, the parents must be involved as well, so as to make informed decisions relevant to the issues that their children encounter. / LLM (Comparative Child Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Providing quality primary healthcare services in a scarce resource environment in South Africa is a challenge. This is exacerbated by segments of the population experiencing high unemployment and extreme poverty leading to a prevalence of diseases such as HIV/Aids and Tuberculosis. Long queues and staff shortages have led to the Department of Health decentralising the primary healthcare system into district facilities, with the intention of offering greater access to equitable healthcare for all South Africans. Sexual reproductive health falls under the category of primary healthcare and is a specialised function, often carried out by inadequately trained providers using quota systems, who consider this essential service to be a low priority. The area of sexual reproductive health includes termination of pregnancy, contraception, treatment of sexually transmitted infections and cancer screening. Although termination of pregnancy is legal in South Africa, reluctance on the part of service providers to offer this service, due to conscientious objection has created a shortage of safe, legal healthcare facilities. In an effort to provide these life-saving services, non-governmental organisations are attempting to fill the service delivery shortfall. With the assistance of international donor funding, Marie Stopes South Africa has established a number of sexual reproductive healthcare facilities in townships in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal. These services take place from basic structures located within communities most in need of healthcare, and offer a range of sexual reproductive health services at low cost to men and women of reproductive age. As the operational focus is on provision of services otherwise not available, the organisation has not measured the levels of customer satisfaction adequately to date. Due to the preventative and potentially life-saving nature of these services, improved customer satisfaction levels could, through word of mouth advertising and customer retention, increase the use of these facilities by community members, reduce numbers of unplanned pregnancies, and ultimately contribute to a decrease in the incidence of maternal mortality due to unsafe abortions. In this study, the SERVQUAL instrument will measure the gap between customer expectations prior to services received, and perceptions of the services post-delivery, in order to establish the current service quality gaps in township healthcare facilities. Management of the organisation will use this information to implement actions to improve customer satisfaction and monitor the impact of these actions, with the aim of increasing positive word-of-mouth advertising, leading to greater use of services and ultimately the long-term sustainability of the facilities.

Northern Arizona women of childbearing age are at disproportionately higher risk for poverty and persistent health disparities in maternal risk factors and maternal child health outcomes. Preconception care is a lifespan and population-based approach to providing health promotion activities to women of childbearing age to improve the health of women, their families, and communities. The county's Reproductive Health Program offers comprehensive reproductive and preconception healthcare to underserved women and men throughout the county without regard for ability to pay, serving as a critical safety net for this vulnerable population. A formative evaluation was performed using the CDC's Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health and retrospective chart review to assess program implementation. In 2010, 1,561 patients received care over 2,575 visits; the majority of patients (69.4%) were women of childbearing age (females 15-44). Most patients (92.9%) were ≤ 150% FPL, and uninsured (77.8%). Program patients were racially/ethnically diverse, with nearly half identifying themselves as White (48.8%), followed by Hispanic (35.3%), and American Indian/Alaskan Native (11.6%). Program reach was limited. Comprehensive medical and social risk assessment and health promotion activities were consistent with evidence-based recommendations. More than 3,400 STI and pap screenings were performed, with identification of 178 abnormal results at the primary program site. One hundred forty-five females had a positive pregnancy test at the primary program site, one-third (33.1%) to teens. For women of childbearing age not trying to become pregnant (98%), a range of family planning methods were provided, which most commonly included oral contraception (36.9%), followed by condoms (15.4%), and Depo-Provera injection (12.6%). More than 10% of low-income females 15-44 received referrals for further medical care not provided with program. Logistic regression analysis revealed program visits associated with a decreased risk of unplanned pregnancy, though this was not significant (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.59-1.29, p>0.05). In conclusion, this program provided evidence-based preconception care to underserved women of childbearing age, though reach was limited. Additional studies are recommended to explore patient needs and barriers to improve reach and tailor services. Development of a community advisory council is recommended to guide program activities.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) expanded access to insurance coverage and health care services for many citizens, and has increased access for women in particular by including preventive reproductive health services as essential health benefits. The current national rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), reproductive cancer diagnoses, and unintended pregnancy serve as major areas of concern for women’s health and public health. The present study examined how knowledge of the PPACA influences receipt of preventive reproductive health services among women. Results indicate that higher levels of knowledge of the PPACA are associated with a greater likelihood of receiving cancer and STI screenings, as well as contraceptive counseling, and that increasing contraceptive knowledge, rates of contraceptive counseling, and pap screenings are related to greater use of highly effective contraception. The present study offers support for increased outreach and education efforts, along with additional policy and provider involvement.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of Master of Arts in Demography and Population Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, 2017 / BACKGROUND: Nigeria has a very low level of modern contraceptive use; with resultant effects of high fertility, and maternal and child mortality. It is Africa’s most populated country, and with a rapid growth rate. Modern methods of contraception is a crucial strategy to reduce the high fertility rate, halt population growth, lessen child mortality, and enhance maternal health. This study aims to assess partner’s economic and demographic asymmetries as barriers contributing to the uptake of modern contraceptives among young married and cohabiting women aged 15-24 years in Nigeria. METHOD: This study used data from the Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey 2013, with a sample of 4,981 young (15 – 24 years) married and cohabiting women. The Health Belief Model was used to explain partner’s socio-economic and demographic differences as barriers to the utilisation of modern contraceptives. Frequency distributions and binomial logistic regression were carried out using STATA v12 to answer the research questions. RESULTS: Only 6% of young married and cohabiting women use modern contraceptives. In the unadjusted analyses, women who were in less homogamous unions were less likely to practise modern method contraception. Respondents younger than their partners by 6-10 years and respondents younger by 11 or more years were less likely to use modern contraceptives (UOR= 0.357, CI 0.135-0.943; UOR= 0.223, CI 0.084-0.595). Respondents whose partners want more children were less likely to use modern contraceptives while respondents whose partners want fewer number of children compared to them were more likely to use modern contraceptives (UOR= 0.325, CI 0.240-0.439; UOR= 1.812 CI 1.1082.963 respectively). However, these associations were no longer significant after adjusting for women’s age, highest level of education, place of residence, religion, and region of residence and other differences. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that socio-economic and demographic differences between married partners are not associated with young women's contraceptive use in Nigeria, after adjusting for women’s characteristics. Further studies, especially qualitative studies, are needed to understand this finding. Keywords: Modern contraceptives, young married women, partner asymmetries, Health Belief Model, Nigeria / GR2018

Esta dissertação se insere no campo dos estudos de gênero. Seu objetivo foi identificar e analisar as concepções de gênero presentes em um centro de atenção à saúde sexual e reprodutiva das mulheres chamado Casa Ser, localizado no extremo leste da cidade de São Paulo. Trata-se de um estudo de caso com enfoque etnográfico cujos dados foram obtidos por meio de observação participante das atividades da instituição, entrevistas e análise documental. As bases teóricas para este estudo foram as obras de Joan Scott e Judith Butler, que problematizaram o conceito de gênero considerando-o como histórico e culturalmente construído. Acredita-se que a discussão crítica sobre gênero possa influenciar a percepção dos sujeitos de maneira que reflitam sobre seus posicionamentos na vida e contribua para a redução das desigualdades geradas por concepções rígidas de gênero que as aprisionam. A Casa Ser, desde sua inauguração, considera fundamental manter a discussão sobre gênero e a promove em todas as atividades oferecidas às usuárias, portanto, caracterizou-se como um local favorável ao desenvolvimento desta investigação. A intenção não foi avaliar o serviço como adequado ou inadequado em relação a critérios pré-determinados, mas sim identificar pontos relevantes sobre como o tema gênero vem sendo trabalhado em uma instituição de saúde, que tipos de conhecimento parecem estar sendo gerados por esse trabalho e o como as pessoas envolvidas com a Casa Ser parecem estar sendo influenciadas por essas discussões. Os dados mostraram que, de forma geral, gênero está sendo considerado como sinônimo de mulher, que é o público alvo da instituição. Foram poucos os homens presentes nas atividades e pouco se falou sobre eles. Quando abordaram os corpos, as atividades foram focadas na fisiologia e na diferenciação entre mulheres e homens, corroborando a lógica binária e o discurso médico dominante, historicamente direcionado ao controle do corpo da mulher. Por outro lado, muitas foram as falas de resistência, com forte incentivo para que as mulheres assumam o controle de seu próprio corpo, para que exerçam sua sexualidade de maneira saudável e também questionaram os padrões comportamentais estabelecidos para mulheres e homens. Há indícios de que a Casa Ser oferece um ambiente de confiança mútua entre usuárias e funcionárias e estas enfatizam o importante papel que a instituição teve na formação e legitimação de suas ideias acerca do gênero. / This dissertation is inserted in the field of gender studies. Its objective was to identify and analyze the gender conceptions present in a center dedicated to womens sexual and reproductive health called Casa Ser, sited at the extreme east of São Paulo city. It is a case study with ethnographic focus which data was obtained through participant observation of the activities, interviews and documental analysis. The theory bases for this study where the works of Scott (1988, 1995 and 2000) and Butler (2002, 2003 and 2009), which discussed the concept of gender considering its historicity and cultural built. We believe that the critical discussion on gender may influence peoples perception in a way they reflect about their own positioning in life and contributes to the reduction of the gender inequalities caused by rigid gender conceptions that trap them. Since its inauguration, Casa Ser considers fundamental to maintain the discussions on gender and promotes it in all its activities offered to the service users, therefore it was a favorable place for the development of this research. The intention was not to evaluate the service as adequate or inadequate according to pre-determined criteria, but to identify relevant issues on how the theme gender have been approached in an health center, which kinds of knowledge about gender seems to be generated by the work and how the involved people seems to be influenced by those discussions. The data showed that, in general, gender is been considered as a synonym for woman, the target population of Casa Ser. A few men took part of the activities and a few was spoken about them. When referred to the bodies, the activities focused the physiology and the differentiation between women and men, corroborating the binary logic and the dominant medical speech, historically dedicated to the womens body control. On the other hand, there were many resistance moments with strong incentive so that women assume the control of their own bodies and exercise their sexuality in a healthy way and also questioned the behavioral patterns established for woman and men. There are some evidence that Casa Ser offers an environment of mutual confidence among users and staff and they emphasize the important role that the center assumed in their formation and legitimation of their ideas about gender.

Objetivo: descrever as características dos homens submetidos à vasectomia na rede pública do Município de Campinas, SP, e investigar a sua percepção quanto às conseqüências da esterilização em algumas áreas de sua vida e as relações entre as circunstâncias da cirurgia e essas conseqüências. Procedimentos metodológicos: estudo descritivo, com um componente qualitativo e outro quantitativo. Após a identificação dos sujeitos, eles foram contatados via telefone ou correio. Para a etapa qualitativa, se realizaram 10 entrevistas semi-estruturadas com homens selecionados de acordo com critérios propositais de escolaridade e número de filhos. Em seguida, foi aplicado um formulário estruturado a 202 homens, sorteados a partir da lista completa daqueles que haviam sido vasectomizados entre 1998 e 2004. As entrevistas semi-estruturadas foram transcritas e inseridas no programa The Ethnograph para desvelar as unidades de significado ou temas identificados. Os dados obtidos através dos formulários estruturados foram digitados através do módulo data entry do programa computacional SPSS. A análise dos dados quantitativos foi, inicialmente , descritiva, preparando-se tabelas com a distribuição de freqüências das principais variáveis estudas, de acordo com os objetivos definidos. Em seguida, foi avaliada a associação entre possíveis conseqüências da vasectomia e caracterísitcas dos homens e circunstâncias de vida em que a cirurgia foi realizada utilizando-se o teste qui-quadrado. Resultados: os resultados evidenciaram algumas mudanças no perfil dos homens que se submeteram à vasectomia com crescimento na porcentagem dos que tinham renda per capita até R$ 300,00: 47,6 por cento no período entre 1998-1999 e 61,3 por cento entre 2003 e 2004. Esse crescimento foi mais significativo entre os homens com menos de 35 anos de idade e que tinham dois ou mais filhos vivos na ocasião da cirurgia. A análise dos dados qualitativos revelou que os homens, em geral, consideravam que a decisão de submeter-se à vasectomia havia sido deles próprios e não admitiam influência de outras pessoas. Porém, ficou evidente que a decisão de operar-se só foi tomada diante do exemplo de pessoas significativas outros homens que testemunhavam da inocuidade do procedimento sobre a vida sexual. Essa decisão também, em geral, só foi tomada quando a esposa/companheira não podia mais usar outro método contraceptivo. Observou-se que 97 por cento estavam satisfeitos por terem feito a cirurgia e pouca referência a efeitos indesejados em distintas áreas de sua vida. Pouco mais da metade dos entrevistados atribuiu à vasectomia mudanças para melhor sobre sua saúde, corpo, relacionamento em geral com a família e situação econômica. Quase dois terços referiram-se a esse tipo de mudanças na vida sexual e no relacionamento em geral com a esposa. Prevaleceu a idéia de que a vasectomia só trouxera benefícios, principalmente maior tranqüilidade nas relações sexuais, sem medo de engravidar. Nas entrevistas semi-dirigidas a possibilidade de arrependimento foi mencionada como um potencial aspecto negativo da vasectomia, para a qual não havia solução na opinião dos entrevistados. Entre os poucos homens insatisfeitos com a vasectomia, apenas um havia feito a reversão da cirurgia porque vivia com uma nova companheira e queria ter filhos; entre os demais a insatisfação devia-se à dor provocada pelo procedimento cirúrgico. Conclusões: no contexto da regulamentação legal, o acesso à vasectomia parece facilitado aos homens com menor renda, mais jovens e com maior número de filhos, que optam pela cirurgia quando não vêem outra opção para regular a fecundidade do casal. Os homens tendem a intervir, na medida em que se percebem incapazes de cumprir seu papel de provedor da família. A possibilidade de fazer a vasectomia fica condicionada pelo acesso ao método e pelas informações sobre o mesmo, especialmente aquelas providas por pessoas significativas. O crescimento na busca pela vasectomia deve ser visto também de forma crítica: não apenas porque, necessariamente, não indica maior eqüidade nas relações de gênero, mas também porque segue testemunhando as deficiências de acesso ao planejamento familiar em nosso meio / Objective: to describe the characteristics of men who underwent vasectomy at the public service in Campinas, state of São Paulo and investigate their perception regarding the consequences of sterilization in some areas of their life, as well as the possible relationship between the circumstances of the surgery and these consequences. Methodology: A descriptive study including a qualitative and a quantitative component was carried out. Participants were contacted by telephone or by mail. For the qualitative phase semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 men, selected according to purposeful sampling criteria concerning schooling and number of children; after that a pre-tested structured form was completed by 202 men, randomly chosen by lot from the complete list of those who had been vasectomized between 1998 and 2004. The semi-structured interviews were verbatim transcribed and the The Ethnograph program was used in the thematic analysis of content, for the identification thematic units or themes in the discourse of the participants. The data obtained through the structured forms were typed using the data entry module of the SPSS computer program. For the descriptive analysis tables were prepared with the frequency of the variables studied. Subsequently, the association among possible consequences of vasectomy, participants characteristics and the life circumstances in which the surgery performed were evaluated through the Chi-square test. Results: Some changes in the characteristics of man who underwent vasectomy were observed: an increase in the percentage of men sterilized who had per capita up to R$ 300,00 (three hunfred reais): that is, 47.6 per cent in the period of 1998-1999 and 61.3 per cent between 2003 and 2004. This increase was significant among the men who were less than 35 years old and had two or more live children at the moment of surgery. Analysis of the interviews showed. that men considered that the decision to undergo vasectomy was their own and did not report a great influence of other people. However, it became evident that the decision to perform the surgery was only made in face of the example of significant people other men who witnessed that the procedure was innocuous and had no adverse effect on their sexual life. This decision was usually only made when the wife/partner could no longer use another contraceptive method. Satisfaction with surgery (97 per cent ) and only a few reports of unwanted effects in different areas of their lives were observed. A little more than half of the interviewed participants mentioned positive changes on their health, body, relationship with the family and economic situation. About two thirds reported that these changes in their sexual lives and in the relationship with the wives.. The prevalent idea was that vasectomy brought benefits, mainly more tranquility in their sexual relationship without fear of pregnancy. In the semistructured interview the possibility to regret was mentioned as a potencial negative aspect of the vasectomy. It was mentioned for the participants as a problem without a solution. Among this few men not satisfied with the vasectomy, only one had done the reversion of the surgery because he had a new partner and they wanted more children, among the other the pain caused by the surgery procedures made them feel dissatisfaction. Conclusion: Considering the legal regulation context, the access to vasectomy seems to be facilitated for the men with low income, young and high number of children, who choose the vasectomy when they did not have another option to regulate the couple fertility. The men will act when they realize if the fertility was not interrupted they will unable to keep their role of family provider. The possibility to do vasectomy is conditioned by the access to the method and by the information about it, especially those provided by significative people. The increase in the number of men who choose vasectomy should be viewed critically not only because it does not indicate balance in the gender relation but also because the access to family planning presents some deficiencies in our environment

Este estudo buscou compreender o significado do corpo para um grupo de gestantes, como estas mulheres vivenciam os processos fisiológicos do seu corpo durante a gestação e a sua repercussão na sexualidade, bem como conhecer a percepção relacionada ao parto normal e sua implicação para a atividade sexual. Conceitos da Antropologia médica foram usados como referencial teórico e o método adotado foi a etnografia. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida com sete mulheres residentes em um bairro popular da zona leste de São Paulo - SP. Adotou-se, para a coleta de dados, uma entrevista semi-estruturada com questões norteadoras e um desenho em uma silhueta feminina previamente reproduzida, de como elas viam as modificações no seu corpo durante o período. Os dados foram apresentados na forma de narrativa. Os resultados se resumiram em seis categorias e catorze subcategorias que deram origem à análise de um tema maior - O processo do nascimento como ritual de passagem para a construção da família, já que todo o processo da vivência corporal na gestação, suas mudanças e repercussão na atividade sexual, foram guiados pelo valor da constituição da família e estiveram presentes desde o momento em que essas mulheres começavam fazer projetos para adentrar à maternidade. Os achados deste estudo permitiram ter uma compreensão do conhecimento cultural das mulheres em relação aos significados do corpo e sexualidade no processo de nascimento, tornando-se para os profissionais de saúde uma ferramenta primordial na adequação das suas práticas / This study aimed to understand the meaning of the body to a group of pregnant women, how they experience the body physiologic processes during pregnancy and how they reflect in sexuality as well as to acknowledge their perception about normal birth and its implication to sexual activity. Concepts of medical anthropology were used as theoretical framework and the methodology adopted was ethnography. The research was carried out in a popular district in east area of São Paulo - SP. For data collection it was used semi-structured interviews with guiding questions, and drawing, in a feminine silhouette of how they perceive their body modification during this period. The data were presented in narrative format. The result were organized in six categories and fourteen subcategories which merged to a central theme Childbirth as a ritual passage in the construction of family once all the body experiences of gestation, the physiological body changes and its repercussion in sexual performance were present since they started making projects to go into maternity. The results of this study allowed an understanding of the cultural knowledge in relation to the meaning of the body and sexuality in childbirth which is an essential tool for adjusting professional practice

Diante da importância que a gravidez não planejada vem adquirindo no cenário mundial, apesar da melhoria nas tecnologias contraceptivas e ampliação do acesso aos serviços de saúde e métodos contraceptivos, faz-se necessário mensurar com maior precisão este fenômeno. Por esta razão, pesquisadores da área de saúde sexual e reprodutiva têm procurado desenvolver medidas que possam oferecer estimativas confiáveis de mulheres que vivenciam a gravidez não planejada. A maior parte dos instrumentos utilizados para mensurar a gravidez não planejada são unidimensionais e não levam em consideração a parceria, a intencionalidade ou o uso de métodos anticonceptivos de forma simultânea, aspecto não observado no London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP), desenvolvido no Reino Unido. Nesse contexto, este estudo transversal tem como objetivo traduzir e adaptar o instrumento LMUP para a língua portuguesa e validar suas propriedades, visando à sua utilização como instrumento de mensuração de gravidez não planejada no Brasil. A adaptação cultural e validação do LMUP foram realizadas conforme o método preconizado pela literatura. O cenário de estudo foram unidades da rede de Atenção Básica do município de Marília-SP. A população de estudo foi composta por 126 mulheres com idade 18 e 42 anos, usuárias dessas unidades, que procuraram a Unidade para confirmação do diagnóstico da gravidez por meio de um teste imunológico para gravidez cujo resultado foi positivo. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que em relação às propriedades psicométricas, o instrumento apresenta um valor de apha de Cronbach de 0,75 para a escala total. A análise fatorial exploratória dos componentes principais do instrumento LMUP na versão Português aqui apresentada resultou em um único fator, que explicou 66,5% da variância total dos dados. As propriedades psicométricas do instrumento foram demonstradas e, portanto ele pode ser utilizado para mensurar a gravidez não planejada na população brasileira. / Facing the impact that unplanned pregnancy is acquiring world wide, despite the improvement in contraceptive technologies and increasing access to health services and contraceptive methods, it is necessary to measure this phenomenon more accurately. For this reason, researchers in the sexual and reproductive health field have sought to develop measures that can provide reliable estimates of women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. Most instruments used to measure the unplanned pregnancy are unidimensional and do not take into account the partnership, the intent or the use of contraceptive methods simultaneously, a not observed aspect at London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP), developed in the United Kingdom. Thus, this cross-sectional study is aimed to translate and adapt the instrument LMUP to Portuguese and validate its properties, aiming at its use as an instrument for measuring unintended pregnancy in Brazil. Cultural adaptation and validation of LMUP were done according to the method recommended by the literature. The scenery for the study was units of the network of Primary Care in Marília-SP. The studied population consisted of 126 women aged between 18 and 42 years, users of these units, who sought for this Unit to confirm the diagnosis of pregnancy by means of an immunological test for pregnancy and the result was positive. The results showed that in relation to psychometric properties, the instrument has a Cronbach\'s alpha value of 0.75 for the total scale. The factor analysis of the main components of the LMUP to the Portuguese version presented here has resulted in one factor, which explained 66.5% of the total variance of the data. The instrument\'s psychometric properties were demonstrated, and, therefore, it can be used to measure the unplanned pregnancy of the Brazilian population.

O estudo buscou identificar e interpretar as concepções sobre AIDS, reveladas através das representações sociais de mulheres grávidas soropositivas e seus companheiros. Os eixos teóricos foram a Teoria das Representações Sociais e Gênero. Optou-se pela abordagem qualitativa, por ser capaz de revelar valores, símbolos e representações, permitindo a captação e a valorização das subjetividades. Foram entrevistadas(os) oito gestantes e dois companheiros. A articulação gravidez e soropositividade para o HIV emergiu em três dimensões: o processo de inclusão-exclusão social na saúde reprodutiva, a vulnerabilidade feminina ao HIV/AIDS e o próprio processo de vivenciar a gravidez [representada socialmente como vida] e a soropositividade para o HIV [representada socialmente como morte]. Os resultados revelaram a subalternidade de gênero como determinante da vulnerabilidade à infecção pelo HIV; a vivência da gravidez reforçando a concepção idealizada de maternidade, muito mais valorizada que a soropositividade, chegando a superá-la através da resignificação da doença, das suas conseqüências e do conhecimento da AIDS como uma das formas para o seu enfrentamento. A soropositividade contribuiu para aderência ao tratamento e adoção de medidas preventivas em relação ao agravamento das suas condições de saúde-doença e dos seus filhos em gestação. / The aim of this study was to identify and interpret the conceptions concerning AIDS revealed by the social representations of HIV-positive pregnant woman and their partners. The conceptual basis was oriented by the Theory of Social Representations and Gender. The choice of a qualitative approach was made to reveal values, symbols and representations, to valorize and deal with subjectivities. Eight pregnant women and two of their partners were interviewed. The joint occurrence of pregnancy with HIV positivity was studied along three dimensions: the process of social inclusion/exclusion in reproductive health, the feminine vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, and the process of experiencing pregnancy (represented socially as life) concomitantly with HIV positivity (represented socially as death). The results revealed the subordinate role of the female gender as a determinate of vulnerability to infection by HIV; the experience of pregnancy reinforcing the idealized conception of maternity, outweighing their HIV positivity to the point of surmounting it by attaching a new meaning to the disease and its consequences, and through knowledge of AIDS as one form of facing up to it. HIV positivity contributed to adherence with the treatment and the adoption of preventative measures in regard to their states of sickness/health and that of their unborn children.