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Objectives: This paper aims to analyze usage rates for the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) among women living in the city of São Paulo and their associated factors., Study Design: A population based cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 with a probabilistic sample of 4,000 women aged 15 to 44 living in São Paulo, Brazil. Response rate for households was 75% and 77% for eligible women. Binary logistic regression models were used to describe the association between each outcome and selected variables., Results: A total of 51.4% of women living in the city of São Paulo had used ECP at least once in their lifetime. Women under 35 were more likely to use ECP, as were those with more than 9 years of schooling, having at least one live birth, not cohabiting with a partner, with more than two lifetime sexual partners and as length of sexual life decreased. Among ECP users, 32.6% used it only once, 47.5% used it 2 to 4 times, and 19.9% used it 5 or more times., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ECPs have been incorporated into the contraceptive method mix for many women as a fundamental strategy for regulating fertility. Particularly young women, unmarried women and those who have had more partners seem to take greater advantage of ECP to prevent pregnancy., Implications: Despite the high use rate, lower levels of schooling are associated with lower levels of ECP use. There is a need for both policies to reduce schooling inequities and strategies to improve women's knowledge of reproduction and contraception., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

This article evaluates the implementation of the Brazilian Ministry of Health's Program for Humanization of Prenatal and Childbirth Care using data generated by the SISPRENATAL/DATASUS database from the Unified National Health System. From its beginning in June 2000 until December 2002, 3,983 municipalities joined the Program, and 71% of participating municipalities (3,183) reported their health care activities, constituting a database with 720,871 women. Nearly 20% of the women had six or more prenatal visits, and approximately half of them had the postpartum follow-up visit and required lab tests performed in 2002. In addition, 41% of the women had been vaccinated against tetanus. The number of HIV antibody tests was twice that of syphilis during the two-year period. Only a small percentage of women (2% in 2001 and 5% in 2002) received the entire set of prenatal and childbirth care services. The low percentages attest to the need for permanent evaluation aimed at improving quality of care and guaranteeing both high-quality maternal and perinatal results and the inalienable right of women to safe care and well-being during pregnancy and delivery.

Although vertical transmission of HIV-1 can occur through breast-feeding, little is known about the effect of colostrum, duration of breast-feeding, mixing feeding, and nipple pathology. We used retrospective cohort data to examine the association between breast-feeding-related factors and transmission of HIV-1 from mother to child in São Paulo State, Brazil. Information on maternal and postnatal factors was collected by medical record review and interview. Infection status was determined for 434 children by anti-HIV-1 tests performed beyond 18 months of age or diagnosis of AIDS at any age. Among 168 breast-fed children, the risk of transmission of HIV-1 was 21%, compared with 13% (p = .01) among 264 children artificially fed. Breast-feeding was independently and significantly associated with mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 after controlling for stage of maternal HIV-1 disease (odds ratio [OR] = 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-3.8). A trend was shown toward an increased risk of transmission with longer duration of breast-feeding, a history of bleeding nipples, and introduction of other liquid food before weaning, but these associations were not statistically significant. History of colostrum intake or cracked nipples without bleeding were not associated with transmission. Most of the women who breast-fed were unaware of their HIV-1 infection status at the time of delivery. Avoidance of mixed feeding and withholding of breast-feeding in the presence of bleeding nipples should be considered in further research as strategies to reduce postnatal transmission of HIV-1 in settings in which safe and sustainable alternatives for breast-feeding are not yet available.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of maternal, obstetric, neonatal and post-natal factors on the risk of vertical transmission of HIV-1., Design: Multicentre retrospective cohort study., Setting: Obstetric and paediatric clinics in four cities in Sao Paulo State, Brazil., Main Outcome: Child's HIV-1 infection status., Methods: Data were collected by standardized record abstraction and interview on 553 children born to women identified as HIV-1-infected before or at delivery. Paediatric infection was determined by immunoglobulin G anti-HIV-1 tests at age 18 months or by AIDS diagnosis at any age. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the effect of potential risk factors on vertical transmission of HIV-1., Results: HIV-1 infection status was determined for 434 children (follow-up rate of 78%); 69 were classified as HIV-1-infected [transmission risk, 16%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 13-20%]. In multivariate analysis, advanced maternal HIV-1 disease [odds ratio (OR), 4.5; 95% CI, 2.1-9.5], ever breastfed (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.2-4.2), child's negative Rhesus blood group (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.2-5.5), third trimester amniocentesis (OR, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.2-13.5) and black racial group (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.9) were independently and significantly associated with mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1. Transmission was increased marginally with prematurity, more than 10 lifetime sexual partners and prolonged duration of membrane rupture. No association was found between child's HIV-1 infection and mode of delivery or serological evidence of syphilis during pregnancy., Conclusion: These findings support the importance of severity of maternal HIV-1 disease in the risk of vertical transmission of HIV-1, indicate measures to reduce transmission by avoiding amniocentesis and breastfeeding and suggest that race and Rhesus blood type may be markers for genetic susceptibility to infection.