When did scientists become concerned that hormonal contraception might affect HIV transmission?
It has long been known that hormonal treatments are capable of affecting many of the body’s systems. For example, oral contraceptive pills have effects not only on whether or not a woman gets pregnant, but also on things like her bone density and risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Thus, the question whether or not hormonal contraceptive use might affect how, and how easily, a woman can contract or transmit the HIV virus is, in theory, a reasonable one to ask. Serious practical concern about the potential effects of hormonal contraception on HIV transmission arose in the middle of the 1990s, when experiments with monkeys suggested that hormonal contraception might very significantly thin the epithelium – or lining – of the vagina. This, in turn, could weaken the epithelium’s ability to function as a barrier to infection. Since this time, researchers have been investigating whether this, or any other effect relevant to HIV transmission, might occur in women using hormonal contra
Related Questions
- Has anyone looked at real people, outside the lab, to see if an effect of hormonal contraception on HIV transmission is really taking place?
- Is all hormonal contraception the same? Is all hormonal contraception implicated in possible effects on HIV transmission?
- When did scientists become concerned that hormonal contraception might affect HIV transmission?
