Question
I am pregnant. When do I start taking ARV’s?
24 January 2012. Related: All topics, Pregnancy, Southern Africa, Starting treatment.
I am HIV positive and one month pregnant.
When do I start taking the pills that would prevent my child being infected?
Answer
First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy.
The WHO [World Health Organisation] guidelines for treatment in pregnancy recommend all pregnant women wshould start antiretroviral treatment (ART).
They also recommend that ART for the prevention of mother to child transmission should be started as early as possible, and especially after the first 3 months. This is indepdent of the edicison to use treatment for your own health.
ART during pregnancy as the key factor in reducing the risk of transmission of HIV to your baby. This ideally means having an undetectable viral load at the time of delivery.
Viral load refers to the amount of virus in your body. Undetectable means having so little HIV that the standard test cannot find any virus. You can only achieve an undetectable viral load by taking ART. The earlier you can achieve and maintain this, the better.
For more information see this guide on HIV, pregnancy and women’s health. It answers a lot of questions you may also have around HIV and pregnancy in general.
You might also find it useful to read the Treatment Action Campaign’s [TAC] Pregnancy in our lives. It explains guidelines for treatment in pregnancy, for women living with HIV in South Africa. TAC are based in South Africa. They can also give you more information about where you can access further support, or meet with other HIV positive pregnant women.
Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.
This answer was updated in January 2016 from a question first posted on 24 January 2012.
Hi Vee, it is great that you have started treatment. No baby is not too late for baby. Even being on treatment for only a few months before birth can significantly reduce the risk of transmission.
Many HIV positive women all over the world do not find out about their status until much later into pregnancy. In these cases it still remains much more likely that baby will remain HIV negative when on treatment. Baby can also be given their own treatment for a short while after birth to reduce this risk even further.
Meds for baby: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/infant-meds-when-the-mother-is-living-with-hiv
You are doing everything correctly and do not need to be worrying. Starting meds when you did is going to have greatly reduced the risk to baby.
found out am hiv positive at 21 weeks pregnant and have started taking my treatment. It is too late for my baby
Hi Tshego, thanks for your question. These meds are safe for you and your baby and have been widely used. If you have any problems with side effects though other meds can also be used.
Eflaten includes a medicine called efavirenz:
https://i-base.info/qa/11355
Alternatives include a medicine called dolutegravir.
Both are very safe.
Hi
I’m currently one month pregnant, taking Elteno ARVs.
Is Elteno safe when pregnant?
Hi Melody,
How is your sister coping with her diagnosis, is she getting the support that she needs? Has she started medication?
Though your sister has been diagnosed late in her pregnancy this doesn’t mean that it’s too late for the baby. The important thing is that she takes ARVs and that her health is monitored. There’s more about this here: https://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
Hi my sister is 6 month pregnant and just found out she is hiv positive. Is it too late for the baby?