AIDS and pregnancy
Every day more women are infected with HIV / AIDS, so that cases of pregnancyeffective treatment available for pregnant women with HIV / AIDS in this group are becoming more common. Until recently no , so the number of children born with HIV was very high.
Today these figures have dropped significantly in the developed world, but still remains a major problem in developing countries where these treatments are not widely disseminated.
It is important that pregnant women with HIV / AIDS are aware of the risks of pregnancy, and how to act to minimize the spread from mother to unborn child.
It is known that a mother can transmit AIDS to her baby through perinatal or vertical transmission. HIV can enter through the skin or mucous membranes of the newborn, or the gastrointestinal mucosa.
The three forms of transmission are:
1. During pregnancy, before birth.
2. During delivery, or perinatal (direct exposure to the blood of the mother or flows).
3. Breast-feeding through breastmilk
Risk of HIV transmission to the baby
Among the factors that determine the risk of HIV transmission to the baby are: the overall health of the mother, the degree of illness present, the existence of other illnesses, the type of delivery (if water breaks a long time before giving light, or if the baby has a lot of contact with blood), feeding a child, drug use in pregnancy, the mother’s access to prenatal care and treatment they receive.
Treatments for women with HIV / AIDS Pregnant
A treatment with drugs during pregnancy may reduce the risk of transmission to the baby. Therapy with zidovudine and nevirapine have been proved effective without increasing the risk of problems in the fetus.
Treatment often includes combinations of HIV drugs, delaying the spread of the virus and helping to prevent infections related to AIDS.
Infected pregnant women already being treated for HIV should be continued throughout pregnancy, although the doctor may recommend certain changes or medication adjustments.
Women in their first trimester of pregnancy learn they are infected and have not received any treatment for HIV should be tested and treated. In some cases treatment may be postponed until the second trimester of gestation, at which time the risks of drugs
are lower for the fetus.
Effects of HIV drugs on the baby
So far it is not known for certain whether some HIV drugs pose a risk to the fetus, but in most cases the risk appears to be very low. However there are certain drugs such as Efavirenz (Sustiva) and Hydroxyurea, which are contraindicated in pregnancy, potential risks of defects.
How to protect the unborn child transmission
Some HIV-infected women may reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to her baby undergoing a cesarean section before labor and the bag breaks. Experts recommend it at 38 weeks of pregnancy, unless you have very low concentrations (less than 1,000 copies per ml) or undetectable virus in the blood.
When the doctor knows that a woman is HIV positive should avoid using procedures such as amniocentesis or sampling of blood from the scalp to the fetus, which may break the membranes surrounding the baby, increasing the exposure of the fetus to the mother’s blood during pregnancy or childbirth.
How to prevent AIDS during pregnancy?
Avoid all possible sources of infection, before and during pregnancy, such as needles, razors or other items contaminated with blood from an infected person. Avoid sexual contact with someone infected and if you are unsure if your partner is HIV-positive or not, use condoms to protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
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