Pregnant and on ART treatment?

 

If you are pregnant and HIV positive, keep in mind that your nutrition determines your baby’s weight and other birth outcomes.

 

This was proved by a group of researchers who set out to establish the relationship between maternal body mass index, gestational weight gain and haemoglobin concentration among 166 rural Ugandan women. They were all HIV positive and were starting combination Anti-Retroviral Treatment (CART). 

 

The women were between 12 and 28 weeks pregnant and their nutritional status was assessed every month. “Maternal nutritional status is an important predictor of birth outcomes, yet little is known about the nutritional status of HIV positive pregnant women treated with CART,” the study authors wrote.  

 

The results showed that the mean gestational weight gain was 0.17 kg per week. “Grossly inadequate gestational weight gain was common. Infants whose mothers gained approximately 0.1 kg per week were at increased risk for low birth weight, preterm delivery, and composite adverse birth outcomes.

 

(However,) CART by itself may not be sufficient for decreasing the burden of adverse birth outcomes among HIV-infected women,” the researchers reported. 

 

Results also showed that “14.6% of women experienced weight loss during pregnancy, and 44.9% were anaemic. Adverse fetal outcomes included low birth weight (19.6%), preterm delivery (17.7%), fetal death (3.9%), stunting (21.1%), small-for-gestational age (15.1%), and head-sparing growth restriction (26%),” the researchers wrote. Fortunately, no infants were HIV-infected although researchers noted a link between gaining approximately 0.1 kg per week and Low birth weight, preterm delivery, and a composite adverse obstetric/fetal outcome. 

 

“Maternal weight at 7 months gestation predicted low birth weight,” the researchers concluded. 

The group of researchers included Young S, Murray K, Mwesigwa J, Natureeba P, Osterbauer B, Achan J, Arinaitwe E, Clark T, Ades V, Plenty A, Charlebois E, Ruel T, Kamya M, Havlir D and Cohan D