Devex: HIV, family planning groups grapple with new WHO guidance on popular contraceptive
“The World Health Organization’s reclassification last month of progestogen-only injectable contraceptives has triggered a critical debate in the family planning community over how to manage the potential link between higher rates of HIV acquisition and one of the most popular birth control methods in many at-risk communities. Reviewing the past 35 years of research, the international health body noted the persistent ambiguity in findings linking injectable progestogen to higher rates of acquiring HIV. WHO reclassified the contraceptive to say its benefits still outweigh any risks, but said ‘women considering progestogen-only injectables should … be advised about this, about the uncertainty over a causal relationship, and about how to minimize their risk of acquiring HIV’…” (Green, 4/4).