HIV-Positive Moms, Healthy Babies

About 6,000-7,000 HIV-positive women give birth each year in the United States, resulting in more than 300 infected infants, according to CDC estimates. Early detection of HIV is crucial. With HIV drugs, infected people can suppress the virus, which is essential to reducing mother-to-child transmission. Although typically only federally funded clinics make HIV testing routine for expectant women, CDC recommends that HIV screening be part of the standard set of tests for all pregnant women.

"Women are feeling well. They're living longer with the disease; they have confidence that they're going to be alive to see this child grow," said Dr. Judy Aberg, director of HIV services for Washington University's Department of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. Aberg said the risk of transmitting the virus from mother to child can be as low as 1 percent if the mother is on medication during pregnancy. Without prenatal treatment, the risk increases from 25 to 40 percent. But research has shown that even women who forgo treatment can receive intravenous medicine during labor that can significantly reduce the chance of transmitting the virus.

Catherine Williamson, a nurse practitioner at a St. Louis private practice that sees many HIV/AIDS cases, calls it a "wonderful trend" that women are living longer and having healthy babies. She cautions, however, against HIV patients being unrealistic about their condition. "The truth is," she said, "in the real world, people are still getting advanced AIDS and still dying."

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