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
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,
Hi Bongiwe,
Things have changed a lot since 2013, now, even if a person is diagnosed with HIV and their CD4 count is high, they are advised to start treatment.
As you’re ready to re-start treatment, the best thing to do is to book and appointment to see your doctor. If you haven’t had a CD4 count done recently they should do one of these. Depending on where it is that you live they may also do a viral load test. Importantly they should discuss your treatment options with you. There will be something that you can take, so please try not to worry about this.
Once on ARVs your HIV will become controlled, and as long as you stay on meds there’s no reason why you can’t have a normal life.
I found that m Hiv positive in 2013 while I was pregnant,they said I must stop ARVS after birth because my CD forcout was fine, so I want to know if I start again is it will be fine or it will give me problem,m stressed it been long now.m worried about my life
Hi Thembi,
First, congratulations on the news that you’re going to have a baby.
It’s great that you want to take HIV treatment (ART). ART can protect your baby from HIV as it dramtically reduces the chance of them being HIV positive. ART can also look after your health.
And because ART looks after your health too, it’s recommended that once starting ART, pregnant mothers continue to take it.
Here’s the guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health. There’s a lot of info in this for your health and your baby’s health.
Hi
Im 4 months pregnant just found out im HIV positive but i want to take the pill for the baby’s health but can i stop after giving birth?
Hi Hlehle,
Congratulations on the news of your new baby.
It’s good that you’ve started HIV treatment (ART) because that’s the best way to look after your own health, and your baby’s health too.
Current guidelines for ART now say that people who are HIV positive should start ART at any CD4 count. This benefits health, even for conditions that are not related to HIV. This was proved by the START study, please see this link.
Continuing your ART after your baby is born is important for your health. If you stop there can be viral rebound and drug resistance.
In some countries HIV postive mothers exclusively breastfeed for 6 months and then wean baby onto soft food. If you choose to breastfeed you need to be on ART so that your viral load remains undetectable to reduce risk to your baby. Here in the UK guidelines recommend formula feeding only.
Please see the guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health.
So the nurse is right, guidelines have changed. People who are HIV positive start ART immediately now. And once on ART you need to continue taking it to stop HIV damaging your immune system.
Hi
I’m 20 weeks pregnant and recently diagnosed with HIV, my CD 4 count is 398 and they put me on treatment (tribuss). At the clinic they said taking treatment is a life time commitment but as read somewhere it said an option to opt out of treatment after giving birth should be given if to your cd4 count is above 350. So I’m confused if I should stop after giving birth or continue as the nurse said systems of the government have changed, everyone diagnosed with HIV should start treatment immediately. Please assist??
Hi Hlehle,
I’m sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. But it’s important to talk to the clinic about your HIV treatment (ART).
Many HIV positive mothers can now have healthy HIV negative babies on ART. Continuing ART after birth is recommended. That’s because ART can look after your health after your baby is born.
Please see the guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health.
Do you have access to your viral load result? And please can you send us your CD4 count again? A CD4 count of 6350 looks like it’s a mistake in the records. Please let us know what HIV meds you are taking.
Hi
I’m 16 weeks pregnant and found out today that I am HIV positive, at the clinic they gave me treatment. Can I stop taking treatment after birth if my cd4 count is above6350?
Hi John,
Yes you can have sex the normal way. There’s no risk to your partner. Please see here: http://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
If you’re male with undetectable VL, can you impregnate an HIV(-) woman the normal way?