Fertility Desire and Associated Factors among Reproductive Age Women Attending Antiretroviral Therapy at Public Hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract Background Human Immune Virus remained the major cause of death in children and women of reproductive age worldwide. The desire of a human immune deficiency virus-infected person to have children in the future has significant implications for the transmission of the human immune deficiency virus to sexual partner and new born. However, fertility desire has been given little attention and the uptake of PMTCT services is limited in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess fertility desire and associated factors among reproductive age women living with Human Immune Virus attending antiretroviral therapy in public hospitals Eastern Ethiopia. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted November 01–30/2022 among 598 reproductive age women attending antiretroviral therapy clinic in public hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select participants. Data were collected by five female nurses through face-to-face interview using a structured and pretested questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi-Data 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS Version 24. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted. Variables with P value < 0.25 in bivariate analysis were taken into multivariable logistic regression analysis and variables associated with fertility desire were declared at P-value < 0.05 with Adjusted Odds Ratio and 95% CIs. Results This study showed that, 42.0% (95% CI: 31.7% -52.28%) of women have fertility desire. Women age (15–24) (AOR = 2.52: 95% CI: 1.58–3.50), married women (AOR = 3.21, 95% CI 1.42–5.11), having no children (AOR = 1.94: 95% CI: 1.51–2.52), partner desire to have children (AOR = 2.98: 95% CI: 1.84–4.12) were significantly associated with fertility desire. Conclusion This study revealed that significant proportion of women having fertility desire in the study area in spite of their positive status. Moreover, being young age, married, having no child, and partners desire to have children were factors associated with fertility desire. Therefore, service providers should strongly focus on counseling and provision of full information about the possible risks of mother to child transmission of Human Immune Virus and how to prevent it, with more attention to young and married women, women having no child, and women who their partners desire to have more children.