Observational studyAmerican journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989)2020
Zim CHIC: A cohort study of immune changes in the female genital tract associated with initiation and use of contraceptives.
Observational study in American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02038335 (HIV-Target Cell Response in Women Initiating Various Contraceptive Methods in High HIV-Incidence Areas), which is not on this map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
HIV-Target Cell Response in Women Initiating Various Contraceptive Methods in High HIV-Incidence Areas: Zim CHIC
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Injectable contraceptives differentially affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and amenorrhea incidence†.Biology of reproduction · 2026Trial
- Injectable Contraceptives Differentially Affect Select CD4+ HIV-1 Target Cells in the Genital Tract but Not Systemically: Implications for HIV-1 Acquisition.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2025Trial
- Systems analysis reveals differential expression of endocervical genes in African women randomized to DMPA-IM, LNG implant or cu-IUD.Clinical immunology (Orlando, Fla.) · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Genital inflammatory status and the innate immune response to contraceptive initiation.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2022Trial
- Mechanism-Based Predictions of Local Tissue and Systemic Exposure for Drug Products Delivered Through the Female Reproductive Tract.Journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Article
- Effect of progestin-based contraceptives on HIV-associated vaginal immune biomarkers and microbiome in adolescent girls.PloS one · 2024Article
- Update on the Impact of Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate on Vaginal Mucosal Endpoints and Relevance to Sexually Transmitted Infections.Current HIV/AIDS reports · 2023Review
- Review
- Review
- Systems Analysis Reveals Contraceptive-Induced Alteration of Cervicovaginal Gene Expression in a Randomized Trial.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2022Article
- An updated review on the effects of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate on the mucosal biology of the female genital tract.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2021Review
- Prevalence and Incidence of Sexually Transmitted Infection in Injectable Progestin Contraception Users in South Africa.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2021Article
- Zim CHIC: A cohort study of immune changes in the female genital tract associated with initiation and use of contraceptives.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2020Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
problemContraceptive hormones are systemically active, potent, and likely to invoke biological responses other than known fertility regulation impacts. We hypothesized that initiation of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) would increase genital HIV-target-cells and soluble immune mediators compared with baseline and initiation of other contraceptive methods. METHOD OF STUDY: We collected cervical cytobrushes and cervicovaginal fluid from healthy Zimbabwean women aged 18-34 to assess immune cell populations, cytokines, and innate anti-HIV activity at baseline and after 30, 90, and 180 days use of DMPA (n = 38), norethisterone enanthate (n = 41), medroxyprogesterone acetate/estradiol cypionate (n = 36), levonorgestrel implant (n = 43), etonogestrel implant (n = 47), or copper intrauterine device (Cu-IUD) (n = 45). Cells were quantified by flow cytometry, cytokines were detected by multiplex assays, and innate anti-HIV activity was assessed by in vitro HIV challenge.
resultsCompared to baseline, the number of cervical HIV target cells (#CD4 cells P < .04 and #CD11c cells P < .04), the concentration of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1β (P < .01), and the innate in vitro anti-HIV activity (P < .001) significantly decreased following DMPA initiation. In Cu-IUD users, genital HIV target cells increased (#CD4 cells P < .001, #CD4CCR5 cells P = .02, #CD4CD69 cells P < .001, #CD8CD69 P = .01, and #CD11c cells P = .003) at day 30 and resolved by day 180. IFN-γ (P < .001), IL-1β (P < .001), IL-6 (P < .001), IL-8 (P < .001), IL-10 (P < .01), and RANTES (P < .001) were also significantly increased at day 30. Minimal alterations were observed following initiation of subdermal implantable contraceptives.
conclusionsThis head-to-head study compared six contraceptives and found increased HIV target cells and cervical inflammation temporally associated with Cu-IUD initiation. Use of hormonal contraception, including DMPA, did not increase cervical HIV target cells or inflammation. Clinical Trial Number: NCT02038335.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.