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HIV incidence rates in South Africa are extremely high, particularly postpartum. However, there is limited knowledge of women’s HIV risk behavior postpartum. Women in age-disparate relationships may be less able to negotiate safe sex postpartum than women whose partners are similar ages because they have less relationship power. The study’s purpose is to test whether being in an age-disparate relationship predicts postpartum unsafe sex and to explore relationship control and intimate partner violence (IPV) as explanatory mechanisms. Data are obtained from 516 HIV-negative participants who completed a survey during pregnancy and at 14 weeks postpartum as part of a longitudinal study in Durban. Age variables, relationship control, and IPV during pregnancy were included in a multivariate model predicting unsafe sex postpartum. We also assessed whether the hypothesized mediators explained the …