HIV self-testing for partners of postpartum women to improve prevention and treatment
Official title: Ukubandakanya abesilisisa: HIV self-testing for Partners of HIV-uninfected Postpartum Women to facilitate PrEP and ART uptake to promote HIV treatment and prevention
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-10762152 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is all about helping new moms in South Africa stay HIV-free by giving their partners easy-to-use self-testing kits, so they can learn their HIV status together and get the right treatments if needed.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 8, 2023 |
| Project end | September 7, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $622,968 |
| NIH project number | 1R34MH132446-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-10762152 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for participation include postpartum women in South Africa and their male partners, particularly those who are HIV-uninfected.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are already HIV-positive or those not in a partnership with a postpartum woman may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on improving HIV prevention among postpartum women in South Africa by providing HIV self-testing kits to their male partners. The approach aims to increase awareness of HIV status within couples, facilitating the uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for women and effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) for men. By addressing barriers to traditional HIV testing, such as stigma and privacy concerns, the study seeks to empower men to take an active role in HIV prevention. The research will involve distributing self-testing kits and providing counseling to support women in remaining HIV-uninfected during the postpartum period.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly reduce the risk of HIV transmission to postpartum women and their infants.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that self-testing approaches can effectively increase HIV testing rates and awareness, indicating potential success for this novel application.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Psaros, Christina — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Psaros, Christina
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Healthy Families-PrEP: helping women in Uganda start and stay on PrEP during periconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
A program in Uganda helps periconception, pregnant, and postpartum women use PrEP safely to prevent HIV, with support sessions and monitoring.
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Healthy Families-PrEP: helping pregnant and new mothers in Uganda stay HIV-free
A family-focused program in Uganda tests an approach to help women who are planning pregnancy or are pregnant or postpartum use PrEP to prevent HIV infection.
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Injectable HIV PrEP in maternity clinics to protect pregnant and postpartum women
A doctor-scientist team is testing a twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention medicine for pregnant and postpartum women in high-risk areas to help keep them and their babies HIV-free.
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Stepped care to improve PrEP use for pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Africa
This project offers a stepped approach to help pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Africa start and keep using HIV prevention medicine (PrEP).
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PrEP in Pregnancy and Postpartum Data Hub
A patient-friendly data-sharing project that brings together information from many pregnancy and postpartum PrEP studies to better understand HIV prevention for mothers and their babies.
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Expanding PrEP access in Kenyan maternal and child health clinics for pregnant and postpartum women
This project will expand access to pre-exposure HIV medicine (PrEP) for pregnant and postpartum women by supporting clinics and healthcare workers in Kenya to offer it through routine maternal and child health services.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.