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 Lucia, it sounds like a complicated history but it is really important that you have started meds again now. Even with a low CD4 count this will steadily get higher over the next months. More importantly, there is plenty of time for your viral load to become undetectable before your baby is born and this will given your baby the greatest protection.
The fact you care so much about this shows you have so much care and love for the future and so much to live for, especially for your children and the new baby.
It sounds like you are a strong person to have overcome so much in the past and this strength will help you now too.
Please use this time to get support for yourself too – and talk to your health team who will also say how effective the meds can be at protecting your baby.
Hi
So I’ve been diagnosed with hiv for over 16 years.I’ve always defeated medication to a point I start getting sick and I’d use arvs and stop again.in the process I have two healthy hiv free kids.my main concern is I just recently found out I’m 10 weeks pregnant and I’ve defaulted fir a year.I have suffered opportunistic disease from hiv this year and I’m so scared I’ll pass it on to my unborn child.my highest stress is my cd4 count is very low but I have started treatment again.I want to comeet suicide because I can never forgive myself if my child is born with hiv.what are the risk of me passing the virus to my child.I have been hard on cocaine fir 2 months trying to kill myself but something keeps holding me back.
Hi Beauty, please don’t worry. Starting HIV meds now will be good for both you and your baby. You have plenty of time for viral load to become undetectable when the baby is due and this is the most important way to protect your baby.
Am pregnant, am 8 weeks pregnant I found that am pregnant,,, I have problem of nausea, so i will affect the baby?
Hi Zikhona, thanks, please do not worry. Although difficult to find out you are positive, it is much better that you found out now rather than later.
HIV meds are very effective both for you and your baby and they work from the first day that you take them.
The main aim is for your viral load to become undetectable befor the baby is due. This sometimes happens within 4 weeks but it depends on how high your viral load is.
Your doctor is giving good advice to start treatment now – and this is best for both you and your baby.
Hi, I found out im HIV positive when 26 weeks pregnant. can I still take my drugs and protect my baby or is to late?
Hi Nkanyezi, it is important that your positive result is checked by a second test at the laboratory. Until you get the second test result the positive result is not definite.
I just founded out that I am pregnant and I test reactive for HIV, the father of the baby tested negative, is there anything wrong with my test results? Am I positive or it could be a false positive result?
Hi Slenda, congratulations on having a baby. Unfortunately if already testing positive they will remain positive. Starting ARVs will not treat them to become HIV negative.
Do you know your own viral load and how long you have been taking treatment? Has baby already had their first HIV test?
Hi doc i am on arv nd viral load stl detected…if my babies status is positive from birth can it chnge afyr takng arvz o thr chile is also positive?