Caesarean section

Caesarean section involves surgery that cuts the abdominal wall to remove the infant from the uterus.

It is important to understand that if your HIV is well managed and your viral load is undetectable on ART, the risk to your baby is already close to zero. This is from either vaginal or caesarean delivery.

If you are receiving treatment and plan a vaginal birth there is still a possibility that you may need to have an emergency caesarean section. This might be for obstetric reasons. This can also happen to any woman having a vaginal delivery whether she is HIV positive or negative.

Some health teams are a bit more cautious with an HIV positive woman than an HIV negative woman with vaginal delivery.

Last updated: 1 April 2019.