ArticleReproductive health2025
I needed somebody to encourage me to take it [PrEP], maybe it would have protected me and the baby: a qualitative study to understand prenatal oral PrEP use among pregnant adolescent girls and young women in Tshwane, South Africa.
Article in Reproductive health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSouth Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV globally, with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) being disproportionately affected. Pregnant AGYW are particularly vulnerable to HIV due to hormonal changes, leading to increased risks of HIV transmission, including mother-to-child transmission. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended to prevent HIV in this population, but concerns and lack of knowledge about its safety hinder uptake and continuation during pregnancy.
methodsThis qualitative sub-study was part of a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Tshwane, South Africa, involving 12 public health clinics. The parent study aimed to enroll AGYW aged 16-24 who were HIV-negative, reported to have had condomless sex, and were interested in taking PrEP. For this sub-study, 25 AGYW who became pregnant after enrollment were invited, and 16 consented to participate in in-depth interviews. Journey mapping was used to explore participants' experiences with PrEP before and during pregnancy. Interviews were conducted in English, Sesotho, and Setswana, then transcribed and coded for analysis. Inter-coder reliability reached a Krippendorff Cu-Alpha score of 0.84. The journey maps were combined and depicted graphically to understand the AGYW PrEP use journey during pregnancy.
resultsMost AGYW discontinued PrEP upon discovering their pregnancy due to concerns about potential risks to the unborn baby despite evidence showing PrEP is safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Participants experienced common PrEP side effects such as nausea, which they found difficult to distinguish from pregnancy-related symptoms. Lack of support from healthcare providers and family members further contributed to their decision to stop PrEP. Clinicians, often unfamiliar with updated guidelines recommending PrEP for pregnant women, advised discontinuation. AGYW expressed a need for greater support and reassurance from both healthcare providers and their families.
conclusionDespite the safety of oral PrEP during pregnancy, AGYW in South Africa lack the necessary information and support to continue its use. Empowering healthcare providers and family members to offer informed guidance and reassurance, AGYW may gain the confidence needed to make critical HIV prevention decisions during pregnancy. Targeted strategies, such as provider training with community PrEP education, are essential to protect pregnant AGYW's well-being and reduce their HIV risk.
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.