ArticleBMJ global health2026
Postpartum continuity of care for women with HIV: Option B+ policy impact and limitations in South Africa.
Article in BMJ global health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
introductionPostpartum disengagement from HIV care increases risks for adverse maternal health outcomes and transmission of HIV through breastfeeding. In January 2015, South Africa implemented Option B+, a policy extending lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligibility to all pregnant women living with HIV (PWLWH) regardless of CD4 count. We assessed the impact of Option B+ on postpartum retention in HIV care for PWLWH and identified predictors of disengagement in the Option B+ era.
methodsWe linked maternal data from Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, to HIV laboratory records from the National Health Laboratory Service. Using quasi-experimental designs (differences-in-differences; regression discontinuity), we estimated the causal effect of Option B+ on postpartum retention in HIV care, defined as any HIV-related laboratory test result 6-24 months after delivery. PWLWH with CD4>500 cells/µL were newly eligible for lifelong ART under Option B+ ('treatment' group); PWLWH with CD4≤350 cells/µL served as 'controls' as their eligibility for lifelong ART was unchanged by the policy. We also assessed predictors of postpartum disengagement from care in the Option B+ era using logistic regression models.
resultsWe included 1684 women delivering from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2016, of which 14% delivered in the pre-Option B+ period. Option B+ was associated with a 19 percentage point increase (95% CI 6% to 33%) in postpartum retention for the treatment group, relative to controls. We observed a 29 percentage point increase (95% CI 7% to 52%) in retention in the treatment group immediately after policy implementation. In the Option B+ era, PWLWH who initiated ART during pregnancy had 76% lower odds of postpartum retention than those who were already on ART before their pregnancy (OR: 0.24, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.32).
conclusionOption B+ improved postpartum retention among PWLWH newly eligible for lifelong ART. Still, women initiating ART during pregnancy exhibited significantly lower retention than those already on treatment, highlighting the need for further support to sustain care in this group.
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