Conception Practices of HIV-Infected Women in the Midwest

The aim of this interpretive study was to understand pregnancy intentions and conception practices of HIV-infected women. A purposive sample of 3 White and 12 African American women who were interested in becoming mothers was recruited from a hospital clinic and a private practice in the Midwest. Participants were interviewed three times at monthly intervals. Data were analyzed using interpretive methods. Three conception practices were identified: (a) a technical method using self-insemination, (b) a minimize-risk approach based on use of highly active antiretroviral therapy, and (c) a default approach in which no plan for conception was evident. Although all of the women reported that they had talked with their health care providers about conception, most did not have adequate information to make an informed choice. Nurses play a critical role in shaping conception decisions by providing accurate, understandable information about conception practices specific to a woman's social realities and cultural values.

Key words: HIV-infected women, conception practices, interpretive phenomenology, self-insemination