AIDS and Women's Reproductive Health

Over the past decade, the AIDS pandemic has propagated so widely and exerted such a dev­ astating impact that one may properly ask the question, Why not concentrate all AIDS efforts on disease control alone? Why link AIDS with women''s reproductive health? What is the scientific basis for this linkage? And how might AID~ control and women''s health objectives be promot­ ed simultaneously? These questions constitute the principal themes addressed in this monograph. The 15 chapters in this volume are intended to provide state-of-the-art reviews of key interac­ tions between AIDS and women''s reproductive health for an audience of scientists and policy makers in the AIDS and population fields. Impetus for this monograph comes in pan from what we perceive to be an inadequate global response, thus far, to AIDS and women''s health ;>roblems. A common platform has failed to emerge among the disparate professional communities working in the areas of AIDS, STDs, and family planning. As a result, endeavors in these fields have been isolated, and opportunities for joint action have been missed. An enormous and, as yet, unharnessed potential exists for power­ ful interdisciplinary collaborations that could strengthen policies and programs against these pressing health problems of humankind.