Family planning and pMTCT go hand-in-hand: clinical visits for one are an ideal time to address the other. If a female patient is found to be HIV-positive, the patient (ideally, the couple) should be counseled about birth spacing and contraception. Both barrier and hormonal methods should be discussed.

At the ZL clinics in Haiti, all presenting women of childbearing age receive family planning counseling. Methods of contraception available to these patients include oral contraceptives, medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera^®), levonorgestrel (Norplant^®), and male and female condoms. All women desiring to use oral contraceptives should also be given and counseled to use condoms, especially since PIs, rifamycins, and NNRTIs may decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. ^74–76 During the initial and subsequent clinic visits, all women are counseled regarding proper usage and possible side effects of their chosen method(s) of contraception. For those receiving medroxyprogesterone acetate, subsequent clinic visits should be scheduled immediately to avoid interruption of the medication.