RESEARCH ARTICLE


Learning from Interviews with HIV-Discordant Couples (Male Positive, Female Negative): The Challenges and Successes



Sandy N Tecimer1, 2, Denise Jaworsky1, 2, Trent Newmeyer3, Steven Chihrin4, Kevin Gough2, 5, Anita Rachlis2, 6, James Martin7, Saira Mohammed1, Mona R Loutfy*, 1, 2, 5
1 Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2 University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
3 Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
4 University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
5 St.Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
6 Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
7 Southern Ontario Fertility Technologies, London, Ontario, Canada


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Creative Commons License
© Tecimer et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Women and HIV Research Program, Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, 790 Bay St. Room 743, Toronto, ON, M5G 1N8, Canada, Tel: (416) 351-3732, Ext. 2324; Fax: (416) 351-3746; E-mail: Mona.Loutfy@wchospital.ca


Abstract

This article examines the challenges and successes of recruiting participants and maintaining momentum in a small qualitative study on the experiences of HIV-discordant couples (where the male is HIV-positive and the female is HIV-negative) undergoing fertility assessment and/or treatment in Ontario, Canada, to reduce the risk of HIV transmission to the woman and fetus. The purpose of this article is to identify barriers and successes encountered in our study, consider how these are addressed in the literature, and highlight specific factors that need to be considered when studying a unique population similar to ours.

Keywords: HIV-discordant, fertility, methodology, recruitment..