Question
I’m newly diagnosed and pregnant, what’s going to happen?
23 October 2012. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Newly diagnosed, Pregnancy.
I have just tested HIV positive and my CD4 count is 198.
I’m also 6 months pregnant.
Will my baby be infected and am I going to die?
Answer
Hello,
I’m very sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. Finding out you are positive is never easy but finding out when your pregnant can be especially difficult. Do you have any support to help you deal with this?
A CD4 count of 198 means you need to start treatment soon. But this is still quite a strong count. Your immune system is still strong and your CD4 count should go up when you start treatment. HIV treatment is very effective and means that people with HIV can live about as long as HIV negative people.
Starting treatment is also important to prevent your baby from being infected. If you are on ARVs it is much less likely that your baby will be infected. For information about pregnancy and HIV please see our pregnancy FAQs and our pregnancy guide.
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