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Between the woman and saving the baby: HIV-positive women’s experiences of giving birth

This article analyzes HIV-positive women’s experiences of giving birth from the perspective of feminist bioethics. A multiple case study was conducted with six women interviewed during pregnancy and three months after giving birth. The findings reveal that the women showed limited participation in choosing the mode of delivery, lack of antenatal guidance – including prevention of vertical transmission (VT) –, and limited use of analgesia and pain management techniques, demonstrating flaws in the humanized care process. Fear of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is merged with the central importance of the prevention of VT and saving the baby. Sexual and reproductive health and coping with HIV in couples were not the focus of care, denoting reproductive hierarchies and the lack of comprehensive care.

Women’s health; HIV; Delivery; Pregnancy


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