Reproductive Health Fact Sheet
HIV/AIDS
In 2004, African American women accounted for 13% of women living in the U.S. Of the 246,461 women reported as HIV infected 67% were African American/Black women.
In 2002, HIV was the leading cause of death for African American/Black women between the ages of 25 to 44 as compared to the 6th leading cause of death for women overall in the U.S.
The primary mode of HIV transmission among African American/Black women during 2001-2004 was heterosexual contact (78%), followed by injection drug use (19%). Of the estimated 145 infants perinatally infected with HIV, 105 (73%) were African American/Black.
Infant & Maternal Mortality
African American women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die of pregnancy related complication, the ratio being 30 per 100,000 for Black women and 8.1 per 100,000 for white women.
African American infant mortality 13.5 per 1000 live births, Asian American 4.8, Latina 5.6 White 5.7
Uterine Fibroid Tumors
African American women are 2 to 3 time more likely to get fibroids, in California, 24.8% of black women asked, received a hysterectomy to remove fibroids.
Sexually Transmitted Disease
In 2004, the rate of reported Chlamydia among black females (1,722.3) was more than 7.5 times that of white females 226.6
African Americans remain the group most heavily affected by gonorrhea with rates per 100,000 at 629.6 for African Americans, 19 times greater than for that of whites.
Between 2003 and 2004, the syphilis rate among black males increased 22.6 percent (from 11.5 to 14.1), while the rate among black women rose 2.4 percent (from 4.2 to 4.3).
Birth Control
77% of black women over the age of 20 are overweight (CDC, 2005, health statistics table 69)
A recent study has found that overweight or obesity increases the chances of pregnancy while using birth control pills. Overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9) women have 60% and obese (BMI 30 or more) women have 70% more chances of pregnancy than normal weight women while taking oral contraceptives regularly.