Question
I started ARVs at 34 weeks of pregnancy
10 December 2012. Related: All topics, Pregnancy.
Hello.
I’m pregnant and recently found I’m HIV positive. I started treatment and 32 weeks of pregnancy.
I’m at 36 weeks now. Did I start too late, is my baby already infected?
Answer
Hello,
Thank-you for your email.
I’m sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. Finding out you have HIV is never easy, but finding out when your pregnant can be especially hard. Do you have any support?
Although you started treatment quite late in pregnancy this doesn’t mean it won’t work. Treatment with ARVs can reduce your viral load very quickly. This means that there is much less HIV in your body after the first few days or weeks of taking the meds. So you still have a very good chance that your baby will be HIV negative.
Our pregnancy FAQs page and our guide to HIV and pregnancy which has lots more information about HIV and pregnancy. Please do get in touch if you have any questions and best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy!
Hi Unanimous, congratulations on having a baby. It is great that you have started treatment. No baby is not already positive. Even being on treatment for only a few weeks before birth can significantly reduce the risk of transmission.
Has baby had a test yet? and how are they being fed?
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.
Hy my cd4 count 341, I started treatment at 34 weeks and I gave birth at 38 weeks with unknown viral load
.am worried that my baby Is already hiv positive
Hi Amanda, giving baby gripe water will not cause baby to be positive. It is safe to give baby the medicine they need while breastfeeding. It will not increase the risk of HIV transmission.
Hi
My baby is 7 weeks old and have been drinking NVP and Zidovudine from birth to 6 weeks
.I gave her other medicine like gripewater
Will my baby be positive because of this?I’m breastfeeding
Hi Zee, congratulations on your pregnancy. It is great that you were able to restart treatment and your viral load is still low with a healthy CD4 count.
Missing your meds for 9 days can risk your viral load rebounding but should be suppressed again when restarting. You will still have 10 weeks on treatment before baby is born and this is when it is most important to be on treatment. Do you know if you will have a viral load test done before baby is born?
Baby will also have treatment for a short while after birth. What treatment and for how long usually depends on mums treatment adherence and viral load before birth. This is explained further here: https://i-base.info/qa/19891
Hi,
I have been taking medication for 3 years since I was Diagnosed and my viral load has been undetectable. I then stopped for 7 weeks due to some reasons, and i started ART again a month later I found out Im pregnant took blood tests my viral load was 420 and CD4 600. Been taking my meds since, However I am worried that I wont access my meds in the next 9 days. Will I have a problem? Will my baby become HIV positive I am 29 weeks.
Hi Hlubi, it is great that you have started treatment and no, baby is not infected.
Starting treatment, even for the last few weeks of pregnancy can greatly reduce the risk of transmission. Treatment is safe for you and baby and is the best way to keep both you and baby healthy.
Baby will also be given their own treatment for a short while after birth. This can reduce the risk of transmission to as low as possible. This is explained further here:
Many women all over the world start treatment later in their pregnancy. Starting as soon as you can and giving baby their own treatment can reduce this risk to less than 1%. So many HIV positive women all over the world give birth to healthy HIV negative babies.
Hi
I’ve been hiv positive for 3 years never took treatment , I got pregnant and only started treatment at 24 weeks of pregnancy, is my baby already infected since I’ve been postive for 3 years and not on treatment and started at 24 weeks?
Hi Zeva, congratulations on your pregnancy. No baby is not already positive.
Missing these 2 doses of medication will not have risked baby being positive.
As you are taking treatment, you are doing all that you can to help prevent transmission. Baby will also be given their own treatment after birth for a short while to help reduce this further.
More information about treatment for baby can be found here: https://i-base.info/qa/19891
Many women all over the world miss a dose, or start their treatment later on in pregnancy. Risk of transmission to baby is still less than 1% because of how effective treatment is.
Hi
I’ve been on ARV treatment from 26 weeks pregnant
I missed 2 days of treatment I’m now 30 weeks pregnant but continued taking them till now
Is the treatment still working although I miss 2 days
Is my baby positive already