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 Risuna,
You should be on meds now. Therefore, please discuss beginning treatment with your doctor.
The following will also help:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
I’m 4 months pregnant, when should I start meds?
Hi Refilwe,
No one can say for sure at this moment in time that your baby will be negative. Being on medication, will however reduce the risk of transmission. For more info, please see here:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
hi im 28weeks preg and my cd4 count is 293 and i just started arvs.is possible for me to have a healthy baby. meaning hiv neg –
Hi Sinenjlanhla,
If you’re referring to ARV pills, then yes. All women who are HIV positive should be on medication whilst they are pregnant. It is the medication that will reduce the risk of transmission to your baby. For more about HIV and pregnancy, please see here:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
I’m HIV positive and 2 months pregnant, should I continue taking the pill?
Hi Paris, you need to use HIV treatment, please see Q6 at this link:
http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
Hy am four months pregnant n I’m hiv positive wana gv birth to a healthy baby wat cn i take plz help
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
You can find the information you are looking for in the answer above. You can also find more information on HIV and pregnancy here:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
Hi I do find your answer use full. I am also hiv positive and would like to know when should I start taking ARV’s. I am pregnant and my doctor told me its early for me to start ARV because I am 7 weeks and 6 days pregnant