Flávia Bulegon Pilecco

Aborto e coerção sexual: o contexto de vulnerabilidade entre mulheres jovens

This study aims to investigate the relationship between abortion and experiences of sexual coercion. The data came from GRAVAD, a household survey with a stratified random sample of young women (18-24 years) in Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, and Salvador, Brazil. The sample used in this article included 870 interviews of women who reported having become pregnant. Abortion was associated with: a reported experience of sexual coercion, more schooling, failure to obtain first information about sex from parents, and a history of more pregnancies and sexual partners. The association between abortion and sexual coercion reflects a situation of gender vulnerability and reveals young womens precariousness in sex negotiation and reproduction. A veil of silence in public agencies concerning sexual coercion helps perpetuate young womens vulnerability, as it blocks access to the appropriate educational, legal, and health services.

Lifetime induced abortion: a comparison between women living and not living with HIV.

Background Studies aimed at understanding the association between induced abortion and HIV are scarce and differ on the direction of the association. This paper aims to show the prevalence of induced abortion in a sample of pregnancies of women living and not living with HIV/Aids, determining variables associated with pregnancy termination and linked to the life course of women and to the specific context of the pregnancy. Methods Data came from a cross-sectional study, using interviewer-administered questionnaire, developed with women that attended public health services in Porto Alegre, Brazil. A generalized estimating equation model with logit link measured the association between determinants and abortion. Findings The final sample was composed of 684 women living with HIV/Aids (2,039 pregnancies) and 639 women not living with HIV/Aids (1,539 pregnancies). The prevalence of induced abortion among pregnancies in women living with HIV/Aids was 6.5%, while in women not living with HIV/Aids was 2.9%. Among women living with HIV/Aids, the following were associated with induced abortion in the multivariable analysis: being older, having a higher education level, having had more sexual partners (i.e., variables linked to the life course of women), having had children prior to the index pregnancy and living with a sexual partner during pregnancy (i.e., variables linked to the context of each pregnancy). On the other hand, among women not living with HIV/Aids, only having a higher education level and having had more sexual partners (i.e., determinants linked to the life course of women) were associated with voluntary pregnancy termination in multivariable analysis. Conclusion Although determinants are similar between women living and not living with HIV/Aids, prevalence of induced abortion is higher among pregnancies in women living with HIV/Aids, pointing to their greater social vulnerability and to the need for public policy to address prevention and treatment of HIV associated with reproductive issues.

Post-diagnosis abortion in women living with HIV/Aids in the south of Brazil

OBJECTIVE To understand how the HIV diagnosis combines with other factors that influence the decision to abort. METHODOLOGY Data were collected during a crossover study of women aged between 18 and 49 years old and seen in public health services in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The life stories of 18 interviewees who had post-diagnosis abortion were reconstructed on a timeline, using information collected quantitatively. RESULTS The time between the diagnosis and abortion was 2 years or less for more than half of the women. For some, post-diagnosis abortion did not mean the end of reproductive life. The most frequent reason for terminating pregnancy was to be living with HIV; however, only some of the women who stated having this motivation did not have post-diagnosis children. Changing partners between pregnancies was a recurring finding; however, in most pregnancies that ended in abortion, the women lived with their partners. DISCUSSION The analysis of the reproductive trajectory of the women studied showed that there is no specific profile of the woman who aborts after receiving the HIV diagnosis. Although this diagnosis may be involved in the decision to terminate a pregnancy, it does not necessarily result in the end of a womans reproductive trajectory. Thus, abortion should be understood within a diversity of decision-making processes and the specific moment of a womans life story.

Condom use and sexual partnerships among truck drivers in Southern Brazil

Results The truck mention the use of condoms, however there is a continued use, it depends on the partnership and the type of relationship. Thus, 68.8% of respondents claim to use condoms, always (36.5%) or sometimes (32.3%), but only 24.9% of them reported condom use at last intercourse. Those who used condoms in their relationship, did so with partners classified as sex worker (98.2%) or possible (84.4%). Condom use falls significantly with a primary partner (wife or girlfriend) to 14%. Everyone recognizes that it is common to use the services of prostitutes in night parades. Approximately 57.4% of the subjects reported having used such services. Only 46.2% had condoms in the truck during the interview.

Factors associated with post-diagnosis pregnancies in women living with HIV in the south of Brazil

Objectives To analyze the factors associated with the occurrence of pregnancies after the diagnosis of infection by HIV. Methods Cross-sectional study with women of a reproductive age living with HIV/AIDS cared for in the public services of the city of Porto Alegre, in southern Brazil. The data was analyzed from a comparison between two groups: women with and women without pregnancies after the diagnosis of HIV. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the reasons of prevalence (RP). Results The occurrence of pregnancies after the diagnosis of HIV is associated with a lower level of education (RP adjusted = 1.31; IC95%: 1.03–1.66), non-use of condoms in the first sexual intercourse (RP = 1.32; IC95%: 1.02–1.70), being 20 years old or less when diagnosed with HIV (RP = 3.48; IC95%: 2.02–6.01), and experience of violence related to the diagnosis of HIV (RP = 1.28; IC95%: 1.06–1.56). Conclusions The occurrence of pregnancies after the diagnosis of infection by HIV does not indicate the exercise of the reproductive rights of the women living with HIV/AIDS because these pregnancies occurred in contexts of great vulnerability.