Question
I’m pregnant and on medication, will my baby be OK?
28 October 2017. Related: All topics, Pregnancy.
I am 8 months pregnant giving birth on 29 November 2017 my viral load is 359 and CD4 499 i am worried is this low enough for my baby to be negative, i have been on treatment for 2 months now as i tested positive on this pregnancy, i used condoms every time since I tested,
Answer
Thanks for getting in touch.
Having a low viral load definitely reduces this risk of passing HIV to your baby. In the UK, if viral load is not below 50 copies/mL, C-section is usually recommended. Please talk to your doctor about the options for choice of delivery.
For more information about about HIV and pregnancy, including on options of delivery, please see here:
https://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
Hi Dr Sighn, thanks for your comment. You are right that if this was in the UK, then C-section would be generally recommended if viral load is still detectable when the baby is due. As this is still a few weeks away, viral load could still become undetectable (<50 copies/mL).
However, BHIVA guidelines still refer to undetectable using a <400 copies/mL cut off, and so the risks at levels between 50 and 400 copies/mL might along some individual flexibility depending on other individual circumstances. The doctor overseeing this person's care should explain this and the options for where this person is being treatment.
It would have been better if the original answer had included this detail.
Many of the questions we get about HIV and pregnancy are outside the UK and for settings where standards of care vary. If access to C-section is difficult, this might affect the discussion.
This lady is pregnant with detectable viral load. She is likely to pass on unto the child. And as such she is not recommend to have naturally birth. But Caesarian section is recommend.
Hi Rose,
Please see Q6 here:
https://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
I was diagnosed with HIV on the 23rd of August this year..and my partner is negative. We want to have a child is that possible and how.