HIV/AIDS during pregnancy

The transmission of HIV from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, childbirth, or breastfeeding is called perinatal transmission. Perinatal transmission of HIV is the most common mode of HIV transmission in children.

What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). A person can be "HIV positive" but not have AIDS. A person infected with HIV may not develop AIDS for 10 years or more. An HIV-positive person can transmit the virus to other people when contaminated blood, semen, or vaginal secretions come into contact with broken skin or mucous membranes.

A person infected with AIDS cannot fight illness as usual and is more susceptible to infections, some types of cancer, and other health problems that can be fatal or fatal.

What are the risk factors for HIV transmission during pregnancy?

If a woman is infected with HIV, her risk of transmitting the virus to her baby is reduced if she remains as healthy as possible. According to the March of Dimes, new treatments could reduce the risk of HIV transmission to a child from a treated mother to 2% or less.

Factors that increase the risk of transmission include:

Smoking
Substance abuse
Vitamin A deficiency
Malnutrition
Infections such as sexually transmitted diseases
Clinical stage of HIV, including viral load (quantity of HIV virus in the blood)
Factors related to labor and childbirth
Breastfeeding

Should pregnant women get tested for HIV? How is testing done?

Women who plan to become pregnant or who are pregnant should get tested for HIV as soon as possible. The woman's partner must also be tested. All women of childbearing age who may have been exposed to HIV should be tested before becoming pregnant. Women who were not tested before pregnancy should be offered counseling and voluntary testing during pregnancy. Women who were not tested during pregnancy can be screened during labor with rapid tests that can provide results in less than an hour. This allows the treatment to protect the child if the results are positive.

How can HIV/AIDS affect my pregnancy?

In most cases, HIV is not transmitted across the placenta from mother to child. If the mother is otherwise healthy, the placenta helps protect the developing baby. Factors that can reduce the protective ability of the placenta include uterine infections, recent HIV infection, advanced HIV infection, or malnutrition.

If there are no complications, there is no need to increase the number of prenatal visits. Specific advice on healthy eating with a focus on preventing iron or vitamin deficiencies and weight loss, as well as specific interventions for sexually transmitted diseases or other infections (such as malaria, urinary tract infections, tuberculosis or respiratory infections) should be part of the prenatal program . . caring for HIV-infected women.

Physicians should watch for symptoms of AIDS and pregnancy complications associated with HIV infection. In addition, healthcare providers should avoid performing unnecessary invasive procedures, such as amniocentesis, to prevent transmission of HIV to the baby.

What is the chance that my baby will become HIV positive?

A baby can become infected with HIV in the womb, during childbirth, or while breastfeeding. If the mother does not receive treatment, 25% of children born to HIV-infected women will become infected with the virus. With treatment, this percentage can be reduced to less than 2%, according to the March of Dimes.

How will my prenatal care be handled differently if I am HIV positive?

A comprehensive approach is the most effective way for HIV-infected pregnant women to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery. This approach will address the medical, psychological, social and practical challenges of pregnancy with HIV. While a woman's pregnancy is under the care of a doctor and HIV specialist, she may also receive assistance from a social services agency to help with housing, food, childcare, and parenthood.

She will also receive psychological support for herself and her partner. Additional help may be provided in the area of substance abuse and lifestyle counseling. Through the efforts of this team, the best plan for prenatal care for HIV-infected women will be developed. Many of these services can continue through her postpartum period.

Is there a safe treatment for women during pregnancy?

Combination treatment with antiretroviral drugs is offered to pregnant women with HIV to protect their health and prevent transmission to the unborn child.

Zidovudine was the first drug approved for the treatment of HIV. It is currently used in combination with other HIV drugs and is often used to prevent perinatal transmission of HIV. HFA should be given to HIV-infected women starting in the second trimester and throughout pregnancy, labor and delivery. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, and low levels of red or white blood cells.

How does HIV affect my delivery?

In the absence of preventive measures, the risk of HIV transmission during childbirth is estimated at 10-20%. The risk of transmission is even higher if the child comes into contact with HIV-infected blood or fluids. Doctors should avoid amniotomy (deliberately rupturing the amniotic sac to induce labor), episiotomy, and other procedures that expose the baby to the mother's blood. The risk of transmission increases by 2% for every hour after the membranes rupture.

Caesarean section performed before delivery and/or rupture of membranes can significantly reduce the risk of perinatal transmission of HIV.

Women who have not received medical treatment before delivery should be treated during childbirth with one of several possible treatment regimens. Research shows that these treatments, even short-term ones, can help reduce a child's risk.

Will my baby need treatment after delivery?

Significant side effects of the drug were not observed, with the exception of mild anemia in some infants, which resolved after discontinuation of the drug. Subsequent studies show that treated HIV-negative children continued to develop normally.

Can I breastfeed if I have HIV?

About 15% of newborns born to women with HIV will become infected if they breastfeed for 24 months or more.

The risk of transmission depends on:

Whether the mother breastfeeds exclusively
The duration of breastfeeding
The mother’s breast health
The mother’s nutritional and immune status
The risk is greater if the mother becomes infected with HIV while she is breastfeeding.