Study: Injectable Hormone Contraceptive Increases HIV/AIDS Risk
By Jeanne Monahan
The New York Times ran a stunning story yesterday “Contraceptive Use May Double Risk of H.I.V.“, about a new study published today in the Lancet showing that hormonal contraceptive use is strongly correlated with an increased vulnerability to contracting HIV/AIDS.
The study was conducted in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the region most impacted by HIV/AIDS in the world. Three thousand, seven hundred and ninety serodiscordant couples (one partner is HIV positive and one is not) participated in the longitudinal study running for six years, from 2004-2010. The bottom line? Women who used hormonal contraception had a “two-times increased risk of acquiring HIV.” Additionally, women who were using hormonal contraceptives were significantly more likely to transmit HIV to their partners.
The NYT reports that the World Health Organization is convening a meeting in January to review the latest research about the relationship between hormonal contraceptives and HIV/AIDS vulnerability and review if/how current recommendations require revisions.
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Where to begin... this is what is called a correlation causation error. What the study did not account for was the number of partners each study participant had as well as whether condoms were used. Hormone based birth control do nothing to prevent STDs - only pregnancy. The more likely scenario is that women who did not use hormone based birth control either had less sex because they became pregnant or they used condoms more often, which are the best preventative for STDs after abstinence and marital monogamy.
The risk had nothing to do with hormonal birth control, and everything to do with behavior. This posting is simply more FUD by the FRC to disparage birth control other than abstinence.