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 Nokuthula
It is good that you have tested and are now on treatment. This will protect the health of both you and your baby.
At some time your partner should do this for his health – and for his family.
Please talk to your clinic about this if you are worried.
Even if your partner is HIV positive, this will not really increase the risk to you and you baby because you are now on treatment.
Hi
I’m 4months pregnant and HIV positive the father has never tested I’m worried because he’s scared to test I went to the clinic and already started using the treatment but he still wants to sleep with me without protection will this affect me,the baby and him ?
Hi,
You can find lots of information about HIV and pregnancy here:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
I would like information about my pregnancy since i am positive, i’m 25 years old.
Hi Meg
Info on HIV and pregnancy is in this guide:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
Plans for delivery would usually be worked out with your health team and so talking to your doctor is a good idea.
Good luck with your plans.
Hi,
My husband is positive. As of now I am not, he is receiving treatment and we are safe. When we decide to have a baby if I take all precautions can I deliver at home? Water birth is what I am interested in. I am just looking for info now.
Hi Thobi,
Atroiza is an HIV treatment. If you are pregnant taking this tablet is important to prevent your baby from being infected with HIV. Without treatment there is a 25% chance your baby would be infected but with treatment this risk is close to zero.
In the UK Atroiza is called Atripla. You can read about this treatment here. You can also read more about pregnancy and HIV in our pregnancy guide and our FAQs.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
I am 2 months pregnant but I am HIV positive and the doctor said to me,that I need to start a treatment,the name of the tablet is ATROIZA?
Hi Ntombi, I’m sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. It’s never easy to find out that you have HIV but it can be especially difficult if you are pregnant. Do you have any support to help you cope with this?
HIV treatment is very effective at preventing transmission from mother to child. This is true even when women are diagnosed very late, right at the end of their pregnancies. You still have plenty of time for treatment to work and protect your baby. You should speak to your doctor about starting treatment as soon as possible, but try not to worry as it is very likely that if you start treatment now your baby will be HIV negative.
For more information please see our pregnancy guide. Let me know if you have any questions!
i just tested positive and am 6months pregnant.if i start treatment now will t help my baby.please help.am so desperate.