Counseling quality and contraceptive use among women living with HIV

Women living with HIV have reproductive health needs that extend beyond HIV treatment alone. They require access to high-quality, respectful and person-centered family planning services that enable them to make informed decisions about whether and when to become pregnant and which contraceptive methods best align with their preferences, health needs and reproductive goals.

The quality of contraceptive counseling is therefore an important part of reproductive healthcare. Counseling should provide clear information, respect women's preferences, support informed choice and allow clients to participate meaningfully in decisions about their reproductive health. At the same time, women's reproductive autonomy, their ability to make and act on reproductive decisions, can influence whether they use contraception, which method they choose and how satisfied they are with their care.

The study addresses an important evidence gap in Ghana by examining the relationship between quality contraceptive counseling, reproductive autonomy and contraceptive outcomes specifically among women living with HIV. It adopts a rights-based perspective that considers not only contraceptive uptake but also communication, respect, informed choice, method selection and client satisfaction.