Will we pass HIV to our baby?
Jul 11, 2010
YOUR husband’s low CD4 count may not be a direct risk to the baby if you choose to conceive. However, the fact that his CD4 count is low may mean the anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) he is using are no longer working for him because the virus has developed resistance to them.
Face HIV/AIDS with Dr Watiti
Dear doctor,
I am on ARVs and my CD4 count is high. I feel well most of the time and would like to have a baby before I get too old. However, my husband feels we should not have a baby because his CD4 count is very low and he fears he will infect the baby with HIV. Will the low CD4 count of my man increase the risk of passing on HIV to our baby?
Morine
Dear Morine,
YOUR husband’s low CD4 count may not be a direct risk to the baby if you choose to conceive. However, the fact that his CD4 count is low may mean the anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) he is using are no longer working for him because the virus has developed resistance to them.
If you indulge in unprotected sex with him in order to become pregnant, you could be infected with his resistant strain of HIV and if this is passed on to your baby, it means the ARVs will not work for all of you.
However, the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child depends on the viral load of the mother. If it is high, meaning the virus is very active in the blood of the mother, then the chances of mother to child transmission are high during pregnancy, labour and breastfeeding.
Using ARVs in pregnant mothers and choosing a safe mode of delivery plus use of alternative feeding for the baby drastically reduce this risk of transmitting HIV to the baby.
You two need to meet your doctor and counsellor as a couple so that you may discuss and harmonise your sexual and reproductive needs.
Dear doctor,
I am on ARVs and my CD4 count is high. I feel well most of the time and would like to have a baby before I get too old. However, my husband feels we should not have a baby because his CD4 count is very low and he fears he will infect the baby with HIV. Will the low CD4 count of my man increase the risk of passing on HIV to our baby?
Morine
Dear Morine,
YOUR husband’s low CD4 count may not be a direct risk to the baby if you choose to conceive. However, the fact that his CD4 count is low may mean the anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) he is using are no longer working for him because the virus has developed resistance to them.
If you indulge in unprotected sex with him in order to become pregnant, you could be infected with his resistant strain of HIV and if this is passed on to your baby, it means the ARVs will not work for all of you.
However, the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child depends on the viral load of the mother. If it is high, meaning the virus is very active in the blood of the mother, then the chances of mother to child transmission are high during pregnancy, labour and breastfeeding.
Using ARVs in pregnant mothers and choosing a safe mode of delivery plus use of alternative feeding for the baby drastically reduce this risk of transmitting HIV to the baby.
You two need to meet your doctor and counsellor as a couple so that you may discuss and harmonise your sexual and reproductive needs.