Caesarean section (C-section)

C-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 C-section birth.

If you are receiving treatment and plan a vaginal birth there is still a possibility that you may need to have an emergency C-section.

This might be for obstetric complications. This can also happen to any woman having a vaginal birth whether she is living with HIV or not.

Some health teams are a bit more cautious about vaginal birth for women with HIV.