Research identifies results of hormonal contraceptives on anti-viral immunity
Women account for approximately half of all individuals living with HIV worldwide, and researchers wanted to identify the risk factors that increase susceptibility of women to genital infection. Because HIV and other sexually transmitted viruses must penetrate the genital mucosal barrier to establish infection, researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center sought to identify factors that weaken genital mucosal barrier defenses. Their research, recently published in the journal of Mucosal Immunology , shows significantly increased susceptibility of female mice to genital tract viral infections after treatment with depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) or levonorgestrel (LNG), two injectable compounds used by women for hormonal contraception. Specifically, treatment of mice with DMPA or LNG decreased barrier protection in the female genital tract by increasing epithelial permeability. This greater permeability increased the chances that a viral pathogen ...