It is over three decades now that HIV/AIDS has emerged beyond sundry conspiracy suspicions as a global epidemic. Since its onset in the early 1980s, an estimated 79.3 million people got infected with HIV; 36.3 million people died; a plethora of people have been in pain, grief, and living with chronic disease worldwide. Since then, enormous advancement has been made in terms of perception and treatment making procreation no more a myth. The study aimed at providing in-depth understanding on procreation / negotiating parenthood’s challenges faced by persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) in the Southwest region of Cameroon with focus on patients’ perspectives while recommending resort measures. Theoretically, this study is anchored on the Social Learning / Cognitive Theory (SCT), theory of Reasoned Action/Planned Behaviour (TRA/TPB), Health Belief Model (HBM), the Stages of Change (SoC) and Social Ecological Model (SEM). The study employs an ethnography design with dominantly a qualitative approach in data gathering and analysis whereby data were gathered through focus-group-discussions and interviews with persons living with HIV-AIDS. Data were analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis for textual data from focus-group discussion and interviews. The findings unfold number of barriers among which uncertainty about the source and genuineness of the disease financial constraints, challenging having a procreation partner, beliefs as divine intervention, stigmatization, medication phobia / psychological trauma of long term medication, enclave nature of some localities / inadequate accessibility / high transportation cost, feeding challenge / cost of alternative or milk feeding, discordant partners, dilemma faced with portrayed efficiency and non-formalization of traditional medicine, and confused with source of infection / doubt of source of infection / doubting of the realistic nature of the illness. It was recommended counseling / health education, adherence to treatment, exploiting the potential of traditional medicine, more research and scientific clarity on the pandemic, pre-marital checks, life style adjustment, faithfulness, good medical care, gradual disclosure, protected sex, scientific / research communication, adequate availability of drugs, support group and ethical consideration.
Procreation, Negotiation, Parenthood, Persons Living with HIV/AIDS, Challenges, Patients’ perspectives.
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