HIV and Pregnancy

HIV and pregnancy can be a scary topic, especially if you are already pregnant. If you want t o try for a baby and are worried about the consequences of HIV and pregnancy you will need to find out more about how HIV and pregnancy affect each other and if it will affect your baby. Being pregnant whilst suffering from HIV does not mean your baby will suffer any complications. Your baby will have the same chance of having complications as any other child with a HIV negative mother. In addition to this, pregnancy does not make the HIV condition worse in any way.

You will most likely not be tested for HIV when you become pregnant although you will give a small sample for various other tests. If you are concerned about whether or not you may be HIV positive then don’t be afraid to ask your clinic for a HIV test.

If you are unsure as to whether or not you are HIV positive it is highly recommended that you do ask for a HIV test, not just for your own health but for the babies as well. Drugs can be given during pregnancy and to the baby after birth that can reduce the chances of the baby contracting HIV.

If you are HIV positive you may wish to bottle feed your newborn baby instead of breastfeeding. This is because there is a small chance that regular breastfeeding can transmit the virus to the baby and the virus can be present in breast milk.