Question
I’m 6 months pregnant. Is it safe to delay starting treatment?
5 February 2018. Related: All topics, Pregnancy, South Africa, Starting treatment.
I am 6 months pregnant and have just tested positive. My CD4 count is 256. I have to start now.
I didn’t get much info as I thought I am doing it for my baby but I find it difficult to deal with the fact that I have developed AIDS, and have to start treatment.
My question is, will it be dangerous for me to delay taking the treatment for myself and only take the one for the baby. Since I think it was my emotional state that made my CD to be low.
I am very healthy and eat well. Please advise.
Answer
Firstly, congratulations on your pregnancy.
I am sorry about your recent HIV diagnosis. I can appreciate that it cannot be easy dealing with a diagnosis during pregnancy and then knowing that you need to start taking treatment straight away. Can I ask if your doctor has put you in contact with support groups for people living with HIV? Many women find it helpful sharing experiences and coping with being HIV positive and pregnant.
Technically, a CD4 count of 256 doe not mean you have ‘AIDS’ as the US defines this as being less than 200, but it does mean starting treatment is very important.
Your doctor is giving you good advice. Starting treatment (ART) straight away is important.
The WHO (World Health Organisation) guidelines recommends all HIV positive pregnant women start ART. This is regardless of the CD4 count. These meds will be good for your health and good for your baby. The meds should get your viral load to undetectable befire your baby is born. Sometimes this takes longer than three months.
Viral load refers to the amount of virus in your body. An undetectable viral load (below 50 copies) means that there is very little virus in your body and is therefore the best way of preventing transmission to the baby.
Continuing ART afterwards is also recommended, but should be discussed with your doctor. As your CD4 count is 256, it is better to continue taking treatment after the baby is born.
The good news is that ART should increase your CD4 count. Although sometimes if you start taking treatment in pregnancy your CD4 count may not increase very much. If this happens, don’t worry, your CD4 count will catch up after the baby is born. For more information on HIV and pregnancy, please follow this link to our guide to HIV, pregnancy and women’s health. The guide also answers a lot of general questions about HIV and pregnancy.
It is good that you eat well and lead a healthy lifestyle. Avoiding stress, eating a balanced diet and taking exercise are all good for your general health and well being. However, this will not necessarily increase your CD4 count. ARVs are the only proven way of increasing and maintaining a good CD4 count.
As you are based in South Africa, you may find it useful to contact TAC (Treatment Action Campaign). They will be able to put you in contact with support groups near you. You may also find it useful to read TAC’s guide to Pregnancy in our lives.
Good luck for the rest of your pregnancy.
Note: This answer was updated in February 2018 from a question first posted online in April 2012.
Hi, congratulations on your pregnancy. I am sorry to hear that your pregnancy has been difficult. What time were you taking your treatment? and since stopping have you stopped vomiting?
Do you know what your current viral load is? and do you know what your birthing plan is?
Baby will be on their own treatment for a short while after birth. For how long depends on your viral load when giving birth and this is explained further here: https://i-base.info/qa/19891
Have you planned how baby will be fed e.g., formula or breastfed? and will you be restarting treatment?
Iam pregnant I started drinking arvs at 3 months buh as it goes on I started vomiting and it started to make me sick so at 7 months I started to not drink them coz they made me weak and doctors couldn’t do anything to help until now I’m 39 weeks pregnant
Hi Valencia, what about the treatment being life long were you struggling with? What treatment were you on and did you have any side effects?
Congratulations on your pregnancy. Do you know your current CD4 count and viral load?
Starting treatment again would be great for both you and baby. It is safe to take and is the best way to keep both you and baby healthy. Even only being on treatment for a few months will help significantly reduce the risk of transmission to baby.
Treatment will suppress HIV and stop it impacting on your immune system. When taken correctly HIV medication can mean you have a life expectancy equivalent to someone HIV negative. Taking one tablet a day can mean you can grow up to watch your baby grow without HIV having any further impact that this one tablet.
Have you spoken with your doctor/friends about treatment and that you are finding it difficult with the idea of being on it lifelong.
For more information about treatment for baby after birth please see here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/infant-meds-when-the-mother-is-living-with-hiv
good day i was on treatment but decided to quit beacuse i cound’nt bear the fact that its a life time thing,so now im 6 months pregnant and i don’t know if should i start drinking the meds or not
Hi Ntombi, congratulations on your pregnancy.
Starting treatment now is not too early. HIV treatment is safe for baby during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is the best way to keep both you and baby healthy. Starting now is also early enough to help reduce the risk of transmission to baby to almost nothing.
Do you know your current CD4 count and viral load? and how is your health in general?
This is a link to a page about treatment for baby and what to expect (they will only need treatment for a few weeks): https://i-base.info/qa/19891
Hey
I found out last year that I’m HiV positive but I didn’t take medicine so yesterday I found out that I’m 2 months pregnant , is early to start the treatment or ??
Hi Shembe, have you restarted your treatment since 2020? and have you had any recent viral load/CD4 count tests?
Starting treatment again can greatly reduce the risk of transmission to baby. Starting as soon as you can will help reduce the risk as much as possible. Baby can also be given treatment after being born to reduce this further.
More information about this can be found here: https://i-base.info/qa/19891
I default from my ARVS in 2020 and now I’m 6 months pregnant, what are chances for my baby to be negative
Hi Diana, it is great to hear your sister will be starting treatment. Side effects often lessen after being on treatment, if you even experience them at all. Starting medication is what is safest for baby. Many women do not find out their status until much later in their pregnancy and have HIV negative children. Her baby will also be on a treatment for a short while after birth to further reduce risk. Being on medication means it is very likely she will have a healthy HIV negative baby.
A sister of mine is 5months pregnant and tested positive but scared to take the medicine because of the side effects but now ready to start is the baby safe please