Pregnancy and HIV

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that pregnant women and newborns at high risk for HIV be tested.

• Without medical treatment, a mother infected with HIV has about a 25% chance of having a baby born with HIV.
  
  
• Medical treatment with AZT during pregnancy and labor has been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of transmission of HIV from 25% to 8%.
  
  
• The standard ELISA or Western blot antibody test may not be appropriate for a pregnant woman who has had recent exposure to HIV.
  
  
  • If she is trying to decide whether to continue or terminate her pregnancy, she cannot afford the 3-6 month waiting period the antibody test requires.
    
    
  • In such cases, the viral load test is usually ordered by a physician to help the woman make more informed decisions including whether to start prenatal antiviral therapy to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission.