Glossary

second-line therapy – the combination of used after your first treatment has failed.

treat as non-pregnant adult – Treat as non-pregnant adult is a very common phrase in HIV and pregnancy. This means that generally your HIV is treated as if you were not pregnant. There are some exceptions, particularly when you do not need treatment for your own HIV and concerning some of the commonly used HIV drugs.

maternal-foetal microtransfusions are when small amounts of infected blood from the mother leak from the placenta to the baby during labour (or other disruption of the placenta).

selective pressure – this is when a factor in the environment causes one type of organism to develop and grow in preference to another. With HIV drug resistance, the presence of a drug exerts selective pressure for resistance to develop. It is based on evolution and the concept of ‘survival of the fittest’ theory developed by Charles Darwin.

diagnosis – identifying the cause of an illness.