Question
My CD4 count is low. Can I have a baby?
7 June 2012. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Pregnancy.
I am 29 years old. I am HIV positive and have been taking ARVs for 5 years.
I want a child but my chances of having a baby are scarce because my CD4 count is low.
What must I do to increase my CD4 cells? Please help me.
Answer
Having a low CD4 count alone should not stop you from having a baby. Many women living with HIV who have a low CD4 count have gone on to have babies.
The most important factor in having a healthy HIV negative baby is having an undetectable viral load by the time you deliver. Please follow this link to our guide to HIV, pregnancy and women’s health. The guide answers a lot of general questions you may have around planning your pregnancy.
I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a few questions before I respond to your second question. This will enable me to give you a more comprehensive answer.
You mention that you have been on treatment for 5 years and that your CD4 count is low. Can I ask how low your CD4 count is? Do you also know what your viral load is? And a finally, do you remember what your CD4 count was when you started taking ARVs (antiretroviral treatment for HIV)?
I can appreciate you are concerned that it is taking long for your CD4 count to increase. This is not uncommon. The rate at which CD4 counts increase is usually related to how low they got before you started treatment. Most people see an increase their CD4 count within a year of starting treatment.
However, if your CD4 count was quite low to begin with it could take you much longer to see more of an increase in your CD4 count. Please follow this link to our guide to An introduction to combination therapy for more detailed information on the rate at which average CD4 counts increases over the years,
Your third question was regarding what you can do in order to increase your CD4 count. By taking ARVs, you are already doing the best you can. This is because, ARVs are the only proven way of not only achieving and maintaining an undetectable viral load, it is the only way of increasing your CD4 count.
Good luck with your future plans.
hy i hve been on ARVs since 2007 and my cd4 is 590 but my viral load is very high… i want to plan a family… what are my chances of hvng a child?
Hi Sohit, there is no reason to have a CD4 count if you are HIV negative.
Sir
My CD account is 497 but I tested my self is -ve . I loss my appetite . I tested myself for 7 times pls help me regarding this.Thanks a lot for ur sugession
Hi Tumi. Please talk to your doctor about our questions. Your CD4 count should increase now you have started ART but the doctor will want to check that your health is strang enough for the pregnancy.
Am HIV positive my cd4 Court in low 43 then after three mouths while I was in the process of taking arvis I got that am pregnant what will happen to me
This guide explains more about HIV treatment:
http://i-base.info/guides/starting
im hiv positive so the thing i want to know is that if my CD4 count are increase again i will take ARVS again or i will wait until they decrease
Thanks – a CD4 above 500 is very good.
im hiv and my cd4 count went up to 540
hi
It is really good that you are now on treatment. The ARVs are the only proven way to get your CD4 count to increase again. this means that you are already doing the most important thing.
Now you need to be careful not to miss doses of your meds to give the drugs the best chance of working.
You can do other things to make you healthier and happier by reducing stress, eating well and staying active if you are up to this, but it is the ARVs that will increase your CD4 count.