A guide to HIV, pregnancy & women's health - section index

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Contents

Introduction

changes to the July 2007 edition.

Background and general questions

Can HIV-positive women become mothers?

How is HIV transmitted to a baby?

Are pregnant women automatically offered HIV testing?

How do HIV drugs protect the baby?

Is it really safe to take HIV medicines during pregnancy?

Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry

Will being pregnant make my HIV worse?

If you have just been diagnosed with HIV

Protecting and ensuring the mother's health

Nothing is more important to a child than the health of its mother

Principles of care

Transmission

How and why does transmission happen?

Transmission during pregnancy (in utero)

During labour and delivery (intrapartum transmission)

Planning your pregnancy

Pre-conception, planned pregnancy, and your rights to have a baby

What to do when one partner is HIV-positive and the other is HIV-negative

When the man is HIV-positive and the woman HIV-negative

Sperm washing

Limited conception attempts

When the woman is HIV-positive and the man is HIV-negative

When both partners are HIV-positive

Can I get help if I am having difficulty conceiving?

Is fertility treatment available to HIV-positive people?

Prenatal care and HIV treatment

Does every HIV-positive woman need to use treatment in pregnancy?

What if I do not need treatment for my own HIV?

Recommended options: START or AZT plus C-section

What if I'm HIV-positive and need treatment for my own HIV?

What if I discover I am HIV-positive late in pregnancy?

What if I am already using HIV treatment when I become pregnant?

HIV drugs during pregnancy

Which drugs should I use?

Using triple combinations

Are any drugs not recommended in pregnancy?

Side effects

Nausea and vomiting

Feeling tired

Hyperglycemia and diabetes

Increased bilirubin

Lactic acidosis

Resistance

Using combination therapy but your viral load is not undetectable

Should I have a resistance test?

Monitoring and other tests

Screening for other infections

Are there any tests I should avoid?

Opportunistic infection prevention and treatment during pregnancy

Vaccine use while pregnant

Treating recurrent genital herpes during pregnancy

HIV and hepatitis coinfection

HIV and TB coinfection

HIV drugs and the baby's health

Will HIV drugs affect the baby?

Have combination therapy and protease inhibitors been linked to prematurity?

Can anti-HIV drugs cause birth defects?

What about mitochondrial toxicity?

What about anaemia?

Will my baby be monitored for these symptoms?

Choices for delivery and use of C-section

What is a C-section?

What strategy is recommended?

What is the likelihood of complications?

Will a C-section now stop me having a natural birth in the future?

How do I make this decision?

Is there anything else that I should remember for the birth?

After the baby is born

What will I need to consider for my own health?

How and when will I know that my baby is HIV-negative?

Will my baby need to take HIV drugs after he/she is born?

Will I need to use contraception after the baby is born?

Breastfeeding

Bottle-feeding and free formula milk

Can I breastfeed occasionally?

Sometimes people ask me why I do not breastfeed

Tips from other i-Base guides

Tips to help adherence

Additional tips for once you begin treatment

Tips to help with morning sickness or drug-associated nausea

Additional info

Words and phrases explained

Adherence support charts

Disclaimer
Information in this guide is not intended to replace information from your doctor or other healthcare workers. Decisions relating to your treatment should always be taken in consultation with your doctor.

Authors
Written by Polly Clayden and Simon Collins. Edited by Jeff Hoover. Drawings by Beth Higgins. Produced by HIV i-Base.

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This is the web edition of the i-Base guide HIV, pregnancy & women's health. This guide is available in UK clinics. You can order free printed copies or download a PDF version (364 Kb). There are also several translations.