Question
I am HIV positive and pregnant, what are the risks?
7 January 2018. Related: All topics, Pregnancy.
I am 32, married and have two children. I am HIV positive and so is my husband. I recently discovered I am pregnant but my husband is furious with me, and has advised me to go for an abortion. I am now debating on what to do as I do not want to go through a pregnancy without the support of my husband. What are the risks in pregnancy when HIV positive?
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Congratulations on the pregnancy and I am sorry if this is causing problems with your husband.
Is he upset because he is worried about the child becoming positive? Or because he is worried about your health? Or something else?
Also, are you already taking HIV treatment (ART)? this is because ART is good for both you and your baby’s health.
Many HIV positive women all over the world give birth to healthy negative children using ART. There is no medical reason stopping you from having this baby if you decide you want to continue with the pregnancy.
Also, for your health, HIV positive women are not usually at any further risk of pregnancy-related complications than negative women. As far as the HIV is concerned, most women have a small drop in their CD4 count of about 50, but this goes up again once the baby is born. For more information on this please follow this link.
For general information about HIV, Pregnancy and Women’s Health please see this i-Base guide.
Good luck!
Note: this answer was updated in January 2018 from a question first posted in January 2011.
Hi Suprise,
What’s your viral load? Are you adhering to medication?
Hi it’s Suprise, im HIV positive on treatment and 8 months pregnant both my viral load and cd4 just increased in my recent blood results,is there a possibility that I might infect the baby?
Hi Andiswa,
If you have genital warts, you’ll need to discuss this with a doctor as they’ll need treating.
Yes positive people can have children as the following guide explains: http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
Hi m HIV positive just realised that I have genital Swarts and my problem is that i want a baby so just wanted to find out that is it possible for me to have it
Hi Unknown,
It’s good that it sounds like you’re on HIV treatment (ART). This not only has benefits for your health it also has benefits for your baby’s health.
But please talk to your doctor or clinic about the best way to deliver your baby. And you can ask what treatment you and your baby might need too. The doctors should give you the best advice on this.
Here is the guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health. There’s a lot of info in this about delivering your baby, and also info for after your baby is born.
Hi…im HIV positive and my viral load is 119 and CD4 count 335 i am due in a 2 weeks time can i give natural birth without affecting the baby?
Hi Maleshwane,
Thanks for your comment. And many congratulations on the news of your 3 children.