Factors Influencing Pregnancy Decision Making among Known HIV Positive Women of Reproductive Age in Busia County, Western Kenya Hudson Inyangala 1* , Judith A Makwali 2 and Sylvia O Aluku 3 1 Jhpiego Corporation, Nairobi, Kenya - An Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Kenya 2 University of Eldoret, Department of Biological Sciences, Kenya 3 Ministry of Health, Busia County, Kenya * Corresponding author: Hudson Inyangala, Jhpiego Corporation, Nairobi, Kenya - An Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Kenya, Tel: 254721727398; E-mail: hudson.inyangala@jhpiego.org Received date: September 06, 2016; Accepted date: September 16, 2016; Published date: September 30, 2016 Copyright: © 2016 Inyangala H, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Background: Kenya is one of the six HIV ‘high burden’ countries in Africa with about 1.6 million people living with HIV infection by 2013. Women in Kenya are more vulnerable to HIV infection compared to men, with the national HIV prevalence at 7.6% for women and 5.6% for men. There were about 1441 pregnant women living with HIV in Busia County in 2013, with an estimated 57 new paediatric infections. HIV positive mothers, have a constitutional; human right and may want to have children but the timing has to be right to minimize the chances of transmission. Aim: To establish the factors that influence pregnancy decision making amongst known HIV positive women of reproductive age in Busia County, Western Kenya. Methods: Desk review of existing PMTCT data in DHIS2, structured focused group discussions (FGDs) and health facility questionnaire based cross-sectional survey among known HIV positive pregnant women of reproductive age, and those with infants aged below 6 months attending antenatal (ANC)/PMTCT and child welfare clinics (CWC) were used. Results: Among the 128 women interviewed, 98 (77%) knew their HIV positive status prior to becoming pregnant, while 17 (13%) discovered their status at first ANC, 8 (6%) at labour and delivery and 5 (4%) at 2 weeks post-partum. Overall, the women shared similarities in their socio-demographic profile. Over 60% of the respondents were cognizant of the risk involved in getting pregnant. Regardless of women’s pregnancy experiences or intentions, considerations in pregnancy decision-making was based on desire for motherhood; religious values; stigma; attitudes of partners and health care providers. Conclusion: The younger HIV positive women, with 1 or 2 children were three times more likely to get pregnant than older ones (OR=2.67) despite their HIV positive status and the risks involved to fulfil societal concerns. Keywords: Known HIV positive; Pregnancy Abbreviations: KP: Known Positive; PMTCT: Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV; EMTCT: Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission; MTCT Rate: Mother to Child Transmission Rate Introduction Globally there are 40,385 new HIV infections weekly. Over 4,600 babies and 7,000 young women are infected each week [1]. In sub- Saharan Africa, women of childbearing age comprise 61% of people living with HIV, accounting for over 12 million women [2]. In Kenya, HIV incidence is increasing most dramatically among young women aged 18 to 30 years [3], which coincides with their peak reproductive years. Kenya has committed to eliminating new HIV infections among children by 2015, while keeping their mothers alive. is commitment is not on track. Women of reproductive age are disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with women accounting for nearly 60% of people living with HIV in Busia County. e decision to get pregnant can be complex regardless of HIV sero-positivity, among HIV-infected women, however, getting pregnant introduces additional personal, public health, and clinical care concerns that must be addressed [4]. e vast majority of conceptions are unplanned and occur without the use of reproductive technologies such as sperm washing and artificial insemination. us, the unprotected sexual activity required for conception carries a significant risk of HIV transmission to uninfected sexual partner and the unborn child. Pregnancy among HIV positive women also carries a significant risk of vertical transmission during pregnancy, labour and delivery and post-natally through breastfeeding [4]. It is in view of these considerations that reproductive counselling sessions by most health care workers for people living with HIV, have largely been dissuasive, and HIV positive women who express a desire to have children continue to encounter the disapproval of health care workers. Although the potential negative health of the known HIV positive woman may have dampened the fertility intensions of known HIV positive women, the stigma associated with childlessness in the traditional African setting, the strong personal desire for biological parenthood remain potent drivers of the desire to get pregnant, despite Inyangala et al., J Preg Child Health 2016, 3:5 DOI: 10.4172/2376-127X.1000281 Research Article OMICS International J Preg Child Health, an open access journal ISSN:2376-127X Volume 3 • Issue 5 • 1000281 Journal of Pregnancy and Child Health J o u r n a l o f P r e g n a n c y a n d C h i l d H e a l t h ISSN: 2376-127X