Characteristics Of Pregnant Women, Partners, And Partner Treatment Preferences Among Women Undergoing Sexually Transmitted Infection Screening, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

BackgroundThis study sought to characterize dyads of pregnant women and their partners in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and to understand STI partner notification and treatment preferences in this population.MethodsWe enrolled pregnant women seeking antenatal care at Holy Family Hospital from September to December 2019 and performed STI testing. We used interviewer-administered surveys to collect medical, social and sexual histories, and partner treatment preferences. Participants testing positive for STIs and their partners were treated.ResultsWe enrolled 1001 women seeking antenatal care in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Of those participants, nearly all were married (99.7%) and unemployed (95.6%), while 92.7% of their partners worked full time. A majority achieved an equal (38.6%) or higher (27.9%) level of education than their partner. Within these dyads, 40.6% reported rarely or never being asked for permission before sex, and only 9 participants reported initiating sex (0.9%). The majority reported never using condoms before (87.8%) or since (95.5%) becoming pregnant. Nearly all participants would be comfortable disclosing the results of their STI test to their partner (99.9%) and would inform their partner of a positive result (98.4%). Of those who were diagnosed with an STI (11) and were not lost to follow-up (6), 100% of partners received treatment via expedited partner therapy, although 0% of partners sought further care.ConclusionIn this population of pregnant women from Rawalpindi, Pakistan, participants were largely married, unemployed, and educated to at least an equal level as their partner. STIs were rare despite lack of consistent condom use, and participants were willing to notify partners of STI results. Nearly half of participants testing positive for an STI were lost to follow-up, raising concerns for adherence; the remainder, however, successfully delivered treatment to their partner, suggesting that antenatal screening programs in this setting would be successful despite low case positivity rates.