Note to Editors
The March/April 2002 issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, a peer-reviewed journal published by The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI), features several new studies.

While many women see HIV testing as a way to decrease their anxiety about the disease, more than 40% of the women involved in a recent study believed that getting tested for HIV was a good prevention method, according to "HIV Counseling and Testing: Women's Experiences and the Perceived Role of Testing as a Prevention Strategy," by Theresa M. Exner et al., Since HIV testing does not eliminate current or future risk of contracting the disease, the authors recommend that HIV prevention strategies emphasize that testing is not a prevention strategy in and of itself. The survey included a sample of 360 clients aged 18-30 from a Planned Parenthood of New York City clinic, surveyed between January 1994 and September 1996.

Pregnancies occurring within 6-18 months of a woman's previous birth, and especially those occurring 6-8 months postpartum, are more likely to end in abortion than those that occur later, according to "Risk of Postpartum Induced Abortion in Finland: A Register-Based Study," by Andres Vikat et al. The study, which used data from a system of national registers related to reproduction in Finland, found a period of less-effective contraceptive use during the first year postpartum. Around 6-8 months after delivery, a large proportion of mothers stop breastfeeding and start menstruating, yet some do not use effective contraceptive methods during this time. The resultant unintended pregnancies have an increased likelihood of ending in abortion. The authors recommend that women be provided with information on effective contraceptive behavior while they are pregnant and immediately after giving birth, when they are in close contact with the health care system.

Abuse Linked to Sexually Transmitted Disease Risk; Link to Adolescent Pregnancy Unclear

Two articles in the issue investigate the relationship between physical and sexual abuse and negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Compared with nonabused women, women who have experienced physical or sexual abuse are nearly twice as likely to have had or currently have a sexually transmitted disease (STD), according to "Current or Past Physical or Sexual Abuse as a Risk Marker for Sexually Transmitted Disease in Pregnant Women," by Pamela Jo Johnson and Wendy L. Hellerstedt. The study, based on data collected from an urban Midwestern prenatal clinic, found that abused pregnant women were significantly more likely to test positive for an STD than those who had not been abused. However, the research did not determine whether the experience of abuse is directly related to STDs, or whether abused women are at increased risk of STD as a result of other behaviors.

In "Is There a Causal Link Between Maltreatment and Adolescent Pregnancy? A Literature Review," Lynn Blinn-Pike et al. review 15 empirical studies on the subject of maltreatment and adolescent pregnancy, but are unable to conclude whether a direct relationship exists because of limitations in the articles studied.

Also in this issue:
A special report, "A Model for Involving Youth in Health Planning: HIV Prevention in Pennsylvania," by Anthony Silvestre et al., which profiles a strategy for bringing young people, one of the groups at highest risk of HIV infection, into the HIV prevention planning process. Young people in the program participate in roundtable discussions and make recommendations to the committee charged with developing a state HIV prevention plan. The roundtables have had a major impact on Pennsylvania's HIV policy, and the model has been adopted by groups in other states.

In a viewpoint entitled "The Checkered History and Bright Future of Intrauterine Contraception in the United States," David Hubacher chronicles the history of IUD use in the United States, illustrates why the IUD is a viable contraceptive alternative despite fears and public misconceptions, and suggests ways to increase IUD prevalence.