To determine the usage of family planning services and safer sex practices among HIV infected mothers who had gone through the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) process.
DESIGN:
Descriptive cross-sectional study.
SETTING:
The maternal and child health and family planning (MCH-FP) clinics in Kitale District Hospital, Western Kenya.
RESULTS:
A total of 146 respondents were recruited for this study. Only 44% of the respondents were using some form of family planning. The most popular method of contraception was the hormonal injectable contraceptives. Although 73% of respondents were no longer planning to have more babies, only 45% of them were using a family planning method. Only 38% of respondents reported condom use with their partners for safe sex. Married women and those who had revealed their HIV status to their partners were more likely to use condoms (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS:
Usage of family planning services in this studywas low. A large percentage of the women were still planning to have more babies and very few women were using condoms for safe sex. Women who had informed their partners about their HIV status were more likely to use condoms than those who had not. Male partner involvement is crucial in decisions-pertaining to family planning use and safe sex practices.