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 Dimakatjo, Can you go to the doctor and ask them about having a test? It’s important for your health, and your baby’s health, to test if you have any worries about HIV. Do you need support to tell your partner you’re pregnant? Can you ask the doctor if they can help? Charlotte has already answered this kind of question. But having the test is important for finding out first.
Hi im pregnant and I don’t know my status,so I’m worried about my baby and I didnt tell my partner about the pregnancy.
Hi Marietta,
Congratulations on the birth of your baby.
Yes you can stop breastfeeding and start your baby on formula. The main thing is not to mix feed.
I have a baby who was born on 24 January is negative so I want to asks that is it OK change breastfeeding to formula because I want to go back to work and I don’t have enough milk in my Brest
Hi Melissa, Yes, it is possible. Are you taking HIV treatment (ART)? If so this can protect your baby and also your husband. Taking ART can reduce HIV in your blood to tiny amounts. This is called being undetectable and means HIV can’t be transmitted if you have sex without a condom. You can talk to the doctor about making sure your treatment looks after your health and your baby’s health too. Here is the guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health.
I am currently pregnant and HIV positive but my husband has tested negative. Is it possible for one partner to be positive and other negative. If yes how long does it take to show the results
Hi yayatita,
Guidelines relating to breastfeeding vary from country to country. Where do you live?
How long can someone who is positive breastfeed for?
Dear Sandra, It’s good that you are taking ARVs. That’s because thousands of women around the world have taken ARVs and had healthy HIV negative babies.
As long as viral load is undetectable, the risk of transmission becomes zero. This means that your partner will not be at risk and the baby will be negative too.
The i-Base guide to Women’s Health, HIV and Pregnancy has all the info for looking after your health, the baby’s health, and protecting your husband.
Hi
I recently found out I am HIV positive and when I went for my pregnancy test and they put me on ARV . The problem is at times my husband and I run out of condoms and he wants to have sex he reminds me every day to take my meds but am scared my baby might get HIV coz of the unprotected sex we have Once in a while