Question

I stopped treatment after birth, is that right?

7 March 2014. Related: All topics, Pregnancy, Stopping treatment.

I was pregnant and my doctor put me on Tribuss.

She advised me that I need to take the pill for six weeks after I gave birth and then leave it. When I asked her about the issue of resistance she mentioned that the sooner I stop taking the pill the better because I don’t need it now.

I am so worried now it has been 3 days now I have not been taking it and scared what could happen . Can you please confirm if this was a good advice or should I go back and take the treatment?

Answer

Answer: Rebecca McDowall

NOTE: this is an archive question as guidelines in 2023 recommend that all women continue ART after their pregnancy.

Hi,

Thanks for your question.

Do you know what your CD4 count was when you started taking Tribuss?

If a pregnant woman has a high CD4 count (above 350) she should be given the option to stop treatment after giving birth, so long as she is not breastfeeding. This is because, when your CD4 count is this high you don’t need treatment for your own health, only to prevent your baby from being infected.

Stopping treatment shouldn’t cause resistance to develop. Resistance develops when you stop and start treatment, or when you miss doses. This is because in that case you would have some of the drug in your body, but not enough to control HIV. So HIV learns how to get around the drug, and this leads to resistance. When you stop treatment completely there is no drug in your body for the HIV to learn about, and it doesn’t develop resistance.

Some women prefer to continue treatment after pregnancy, even if they have a high CD4 count. This might not be possible due to cost or availability of treatment, but your doctor should have discussed this with you.

You can read more about this in our pregnancy guide.

Note: this question was updated in 2023. Guidelines now recommend continuing on ART after pregnancy,