Frequently Asked Questions Regarding PPTCT of HIV

1) Why should I be tested for HIV if I am pregnant?

To prevent your baby from getting HIV infection and to reduce the problem for your baby. HIV disease is a serious infection with no cure. Keeping your baby from getting infected can help your baby live a normal life. That is why it is important to know if you have HIV. If you have HIV, it will change the way your doctor cares for you while you are pregnant. Your doctor will try to reduce the risk of problems for you and your baby.

2) How do babies get HIV?

Most babies get HIV from their mothers before they are born, during labor or after they are born.

3) Will my HIV affect my ability to become pregnant?

Women with HIV have decreased fertility rates compared to HIV negative women, however, to become pregnant, you must have unsafe sexual intercourse, which puts your partner at risk for HIV.

4)  Will a pregnancy accelerate the course of my HIV infection?

There is no evidence that pregnancy is associated with increased HIV progression (more rapid declines in CD4 could more rapid increase in viral load). There is no evidence that HIV causes birth defects.

5) Will HIV affect the course of pregnancy?

A number of studies have shown that HIV infected women may deliver prematurely and that their infants will have low birth weights than uninfected women.

6) What are the chances that my baby will be HIV-infected?

This risk of transmission from an HIV positive woman to her baby is approximately 25%. The risk is higher for women with lower CD4 counts and higher viral loads. Most transmission occurs during the birth process, although it may occur during the pregnancy or by breast-feeding. It is therefore, recommended that women with HIV not breast feed their babies.

7)  A. What can I do to keep my baby from getting HIV?

There are several things you can do to help keep your baby from getting HIV:-

• Take medicines called antiretrovirals

• Have a cesarean section to deliver baby.

• Work with your doctor to keep your baby from being born early.

• Keep yourself from getting other infections.

• Do not breast-feed your baby.

7)  B. how can we prevent infection of newborns?

Mothers can reduce the risk of infecting their babies if they :

• Use antiviral medications.

• Keep the delivery time short, and

• Don’t breast-feed

8) What antiretroviral medicines should I be taking?

Usually three of four antiretroviral medicines are used including one called zidovudine. There is a chance that these medicines might cause birth defects. The risk of birth defects must be weighed against the risk of your baby getting HIV infection.

9) Should I have an elective cesarean section?

Having a cesarean section before you would naturally go into labour might decrease the risk of your baby getting HIV. A cesarean section is surgery so it does have risks. Depending on your HIV viral load, a cesarean section may not be helpful for your baby.

10) What should I do to prevent other infection?

If your CD4 cell count is low, your doctor may want you to take medicines to prevent other infections. These infections can cause serious risks for you and your baby.

11)  A. What happens after my baby is born?

Your doctor will prescribe zidovudine for your baby from birth until it is six weeks old to help prevent HIV infection. Your baby’s blood will be tested from time to time to see if your baby has HIV.

11)  B. How do we know if a newborn is infected?

If babies are infected with HIV, their immune systems will start to make antibodies. They will continue to test positive. If they are not infected, the mother’s antibodies will gradually disappear and the babies will test negative after about 6 to 12 months.

12) What will the results from the blood test mean?

If one blood test is positive for HIV, doctor will test your baby’s blood again before deciding for sure if your baby has HIV. If all tests are negative from the birth until your baby is four months old, there is a 95percent chance your baby does not have HIV. Your baby must have tests that are negative until 18 months old before it can be considered for sure not to have HIV.

13) BOTTOM LINE

An HIV infected women who become pregnant needs to think about her own health and the health of her new child.

14) Where can I find more information?

It is important for you to talk with your doctor about your treatment. You can also get information from the resources listed below :