Question
I started treatment at 6 months of pregnancy, will my baby be positive?
4 October 2016. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Pregnancy, South Africa, Starting treatment.
I am 8 months pregnant but found out that I am HIV positive at 6 months and started my medication from there. My CD4 count is 261. Is it possible that my baby can be born HIV positive?
Answer
Hi,
Thanks for your question. Congratulations on your pregnancy.
It is good you have started treatment, it will protect your health and your baby’s health.
Even at 28 weeks (a late diagnosis) some women who start treatment immediately and get an undetectable viral load by the time of delivery can have normal birth and a negative baby.
As you started treatment at 24 weeks you a very good chance of not transmitting HIV to your baby. Without treatment, there is about a 1 in 3 chance (30%). With treatment and an undetectable viral load, the risk drops to about 1 in 100 (1%).
Please see our guide on pregnancy for more information.
Hi Dee, congratulations on your pregnancy. Have you been taking your meds at all during the pregnancy? and do you know your current viral load and/or CD4 count?
Even if you haven’t been taking them at all, even a few days of treatment before birth can help reduce the risk of transmission.
Baby will also be given their own meds after birth for a short while to ensure the risk is as low as possible. This is explained further here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/infant-meds-when-the-mother-is-living-with-hiv
Even though you have not been taking meds carefully, treatment can still have a significant impact on reducing transmission and even though you are at the end of your pregnancy you can still help to reduce this further. Have you planned on how you are giving birth/will feed baby?
Hello, I wasn’t taking my my ARV’s carefully, but now Im 9 months pregnant and afraid my baby has already contacted the virus.
Hi EMS, thanks, please refer to the quidelines for your country, which might, for example, be from WHO. As delivery is still some weeks away, viral load couls easily become undetectable by then, especially if you and your team can be supportive of good adherence.Please note that i-Base are not doctors.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241509565
Hi I have a 8 month old pregnant patient with HIV. She started her ART on her 8 months pregnancy. Now we tested her Viral Load with a result of 278 copies. Can she transmit the virus even if she’s on her ARV and virally suppresed?