here - Health Promotion Agency

Antenatal care and antenatal classes
IF YOU ARE FOUND
TO BE HIV POSITIVE,
or already know that you
are, your doctor will need to
discuss the management of
your pregnancy and delivery
with you.
•
•
There is a 1 in 6 chance
of your baby beinginfected.
20% of HIV infected
babies develop AIDS or
die within the first year
of life, so it’s important
to reduce the risk of
transmission.
•
Treatment may reduce
the risk of transmitting
HIV from you to the
baby.
•
Your labour will be
managedto reduce the risk
of infection to your baby.
This may include an
elective Caesarean delivery
(see pages 101–2).
•
Your baby will be tested
for HIV at birth and
at intervals for up to two
years. If the baby is
found to be HIV
infected, paediatricians
will be able to anticipate
certain illnesses which
occur in infected babies,
and so treat them early.
All babies born to HIV
positive mothers will
appear to be HIV
positive at birth, but
many later test negative
because antibodies passed
to them by their mothers
disappear.
•
You will be advised not
to breastfeed because
HIV can be transmitted
to your baby in this way.
•
for HIV – this is the virus that
causes AIDS. If you are infected
you can pass the infection to your
baby during pregnancy, at delivery
or after birth by breastfeeding. As
part of your routine antenatal care,
a confidential test for HIV
infection will be offered and
recommended. If you are HIV
positive, both you and your baby
can have treatment and care that
reduces the risk of your baby
becoming infected (see box). If
your test result is negative, the fact
that you accepted the test as part
of your antenatal care should not
affect your ability to obtain
insurance.
If you think that you are at risk of
getting HIV, or know you are HIV
positive, ask your doctor or midwife
for the opportunity to discuss HIV
testing and counselling. You can also
get free confidential advice from the
National AIDS Helpline. You can
also talk in confidence to someone at
Positively Women (see page 149).
UNLINKED ANONYMOUS
SURVEYS
In addition to named testing, some
antenatal clinics are taking part in
unlinked anonymous surveys to find
out how widespread HIV and other
infectious diseases are in the general
population. If your antenatal clinic is
one of these, leaflets and posters
explaining the survey should be on
display. Unlinked Anonymous testing
involves testing blood left over after
completion of the routine checks for
HIV and other infectious diseases.
Details that could identify you are
permanently removed before the
testing so that there is no possibility
that your result can be traced back to
you. (Some general information, like
your age group, will be connected to
the sample.) You can ask for your
specimen to be excluded from the
survey if you so wish. Whether you
take part, or not, will not affect your
antenatal care in any way.
SICKLE CELL DISORDERS AND
THALASSAEMIA
Sickle cell disorders and thalassaemia
are common inherited blood
conditions that mainly affect people
who have originated from Africa,
the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia
and the Mediterranean, but are also
found in the Northern European
population. You may be offered a
blood test to find out whether you
are a carrier of these disorders. It is
possible for either you or your
partner to be a carrier without it
affecting your baby at all. But if both
of you are carriers, or if either of
you suffer from the disorders, you
should discuss the implications for
the baby with your doctor or
midwife. For further information
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