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.
I am 4 month pregnent and I just stated ARVs when I was 2 month so I drink alcohol little bit i need to know how much risk am I putting my child on and can it be porseble that he can not be ifected
Hi Princess,
Are you on medication? If you are what meds are you taking?
Hi i am hiv positive and my CD4 Count is 336, i want to have a child now i am getting old, can i take clomid?
Hi Anonymous,
What ARVs are you currently taking?
Hi I am 43 and just find out I am pregnant, I am on my ARV med. Can this cause a problem for the babe and my husband
Hi Sindi,
When someone is positive and pregnant what’s important is their viral load, not their CD4 count. Have you started treatment yet? If you have its the treatment that will control your viral load. Once your viral load becomes undetectable the risk of transmission to your baby will be drastically reduced. Please see the following guides:
http://i-base.info/guides/starting
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
I’m very worried recently I tested HIV positive n I’m six months pregnant my cd4 count is 65 will it be possible to have a HIV negative baby
Hi Unknown,
The best way to protect your baby from HIV is for you to start HIV treatment (ART). So it’s great you’ve started immediately. Many women from all over the world have had healthy HIV negative babies by taking ART.
You can read all about looking after your health and your baby’s health in this guide to HIV, pregnancy and women’s health.
Hi 4months pregnant I just found out that I’m HIV positive .but they put me on pills immediately for baby .is my baby already positive or want help me
Hi Anonymous,
I’m sorry, things sound tough for you at the moment.
Are you taking HIV treatment (ART)? If so, and your viral load is undetectable, this can help you tell your boyfriend you’re positive. We now know that Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U). So this can protect him from HIV. You can read about U=U here. But first perhaps you could talk to him generally about HIV just to find out what he feels about HIV. This might make things easier when you think the time is right to tell him.
Can you ask for support about pregnancy and termination at your clinic? They may be able to help. If you live in South Africa you can contact the Treatment Action Campaign for support. Other countries might have similar organisations too.