Lifelong HIV treatment and ovarian reserve in African women

Association of Lifelong ART with Anti-Mullerian Hormone and Fecundability in African Women

NIH-funded research Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11413194

This project looks at whether long-term HIV treatment changes a hormone that reflects ovarian reserve and how that might affect fertility and menopause timing for African women living with HIV.

Quick facts

Grant typeR21 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionJohns Hopkins University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Baltimore, United States)
Project IDNIH-11413194 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, you would be followed over time at clinics in sub-Saharan Africa where the team will collect blood samples to measure anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and other reproductive hormones. The researchers will track menstrual patterns, attempts to conceive, pregnancies, and signs of menopause to link hormone levels with fertility outcomes. Most participants will be women living with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and the team will examine how hormone trends relate to ART duration and type. Visits would include regular blood draws, short questionnaires about menstrual and reproductive history, and follow-up contacts to record pregnancies or menopausal changes.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are African women living with HIV who are of reproductive or perimenopausal age, currently on ART, and willing to provide blood samples and attend follow-up visits.

Not a fit: Women not living with HIV, women who are already well beyond menopause, or people unwilling to give samples or participate in follow-up are unlikely to gain direct benefit.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help personalize fertility counseling, family-planning timing, and menopause care for women on long-term ART.

How similar studies have performed: Some smaller or cross-sectional studies have linked ART to changes in reproductive hormones, but long-term longitudinal data from African populations are limited, so this approach is partly novel.

Where this research is happening

Baltimore, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome VirusAcquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.