Do you know that the word HIV is no longer the 'death sentence' it was only a couple of years ago?
Now experts say that the life expectancy of HIV patients receiving treatment is now approaching that of the general population. For example a 20-year-old HIV-positive adult on antiretroviral therapy (ART) may be expected to live into their early 70s.
Read a Mamalette's experience of living with HIV/AIDS.
Amazing right? Here on Mamalette one of our readers, a wife and mother is HIV positive and from her testimonies, she lives a rich and fulfilled life, in fact none of her children are HIV positive.
Now in Nigeria, pregnant women are required to undergo screening for HIV as part of their routine prenatal care.
The prenatal test that is typically run on an HIV-infected patient includes a CD4 cell count and viral load, and at a minimum, all of this should be monitored every trimester.
Experts recommend that testing should be done as early in the pregnancy as possible, and again when the patient reaches the third trimester.
One of the many reasons that it is necessary to test the patient again in the third trimester, is so that pediatricians are aware of the HIV status with regards to the newborn.
It’s also important because breastfeeding is contraindicative in HIV-positive women, and it allows time for the physician to explain that they should not breastfeed until their HIV status is known.
Depending on the patient’s HIV status and viral load, antiretroviral therapy is managed usually in consultation with infectious disease specialists.
The delivery options are something that is typically discussed if the HIV RNA levels are greater than 1,000 copies per ML near the time of delivery. If that is the case, an elective C-section is recommended for the patient at around the 38-week mark.
If the levels are lower, a patient can typically deliver vaginally. During the course of labour, the mother will be given antiretroviral medication infused through IV.
All of these measures are taken in an effort to prevent mother-to-baby transmission of HIV.
The bottom line is that many women who have been diagnosed with HIV have are able to achieve a healthy pregnancy by controlling their disease and can definately give birth to HIV-Negative children.
Comments
Comments
