The Head of UKZN’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology Discipline, Professor Motshedisi Sebitloane received the 2023 Best Women African Researcher Award under the Women’s Health category for her research abstract: Women Living with HIV on Treatment are at Increased Risk of Premature Menopause at an online ceremony at the Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit (MARS).
Sebitloane’s study on women living with HIV (WLHIV) on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) treatment, who were virally suppressed with good CD4 counts found that a significant number had anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels far below what is expected for their age, even though the majority were still experiencing menstrual cycles. Longer HAART duration was associated with lower levels of AMH, with the rate of premature menopause more than three times higher than that expected for the age-adjusted population.
Sebitloane said plasma levels of the AMH have been reported to be a biomarker of gonadal (reproductive gland) ageing and an indicator of ovarian reserve in women. Although the relationship between levels of AMH and age of menopause has been studied in the general population, few studies had been conducted with WLHIV, which prompted the study. ‘This is significant because we have at least one in five women living with HIV in South Africa, most of whom are on treatment,’ she said.
Held in partnership with the African Union Scientific Technical Research Commission, International Federation of Fertility Societies, Africa Reproductive Care Society, and Manipal University, India, the MARS 2023 Awards were attended by African Ministers of Health, Technology, Information and Technology, Social Affairs, Women’s Rights and Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare.
Sebitloane was one of six 2023 MARS Award winners from six African countries. There were more than 150 submissions and the President of the African Reproductive Care Society, Professor Oladapo Ashiru, said he was impressed by the quality and scope of the diverse topics submitted.
Senator, Merck Foundation CEO and one of the 100 Most Influential African Women (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023), Dr Rasha Kelej said the MARS Summit took a strong stance on empowering women and youth in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). She lauded Sebitloane not only for a sterling study but also for the excellent provision of maternal and women’s healthcare through translatable research and innovation in training in KwaZulu-Natal. The award comes with a Merck scholarship for her to study towards a postgraduate diploma in healthcare leadership with the University of South Wales, which she will embark on from March 2024.
The Merck Foundation is committed to improving people’s lives and has been transforming the patient care landscape and making history together with its partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond by providing 1 700 scholarships for doctors from 50 countries in 42 critical and under-served medical specialities.
