Thank you so much for answering my question. I feel sooo much better. I just wanted to ask one more question in response to the medication my baby will have to take once it is born. Will this be a life time thing. How long will he have to take the medication.?Is there any chance that my child may grow out of it? I have a friend whose husband had AIDS and she got pregnant. She never contracted the virus and she had a natural birth, her daughter just turned 11 years old and has not contracted the virus also. How is this possible? Is it possible that the medications I have taken will help my baby's immune system so he may not contract the virus? Thank you again.

In the absence of antiretroviral therapy, about 25-30% of women transmit the virus to their babies (so even without therapy not all women will transmit). Antiretroviral therapy markedly reduces the risk of transmission and the risk of transmission is less than 1% if mom's viral load is undetectable. Zidovudine treatment of the baby is usually for 6 weeks. Close follow-up of the baby with testing for HIV is important, particularly over the first few months. With currently available tests, the infection status of most babaies can be ascertained by 1-2 months of age.