Can You Be Born With Hiv

How Can We Conceive If One Of Us Is Hiv Negative And One Is Living With Hiv

When a person living with HIV has an undetectable viral load, there is no risk of HIV transmission during sex. Providing the partner living with HIV has an undetectable viral load and neither of you have any sexually transmitted infections , sex without a condom is fine.

If you or your partner have a detectable viral load, it is important to discuss conception options that reduce or remove risk of transmission during sex to you/your partner and baby. Before deciding not to use condoms, get advice from your HIV healthcare team so that they can confirm what would work best for you. This may include the HIV-negative partner taking PrEP. PrEP reduces HIV transmission and is safe to take during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Everyone planning a pregnancy whether or not they have HIV is advised to take a daily folic acid supplement whilst trying to conceive and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Folic acid helps cells in the body to develop. It is difficult to get enough through diet alone.

Managing Illness As A Parent

Although medical advances now allow people with HIV to live full, healthy lives, you may have times where you or your partner is unwell or needs medical care.

As with any longer-term illness, this can impact on your ability to earn an income, manage a household or raise children.

Living with chronic illness can be a challenge and sometimes families need extra support. Trying to sort things out on your own can make life seem overwhelming. Dont be afraid to ask for help from expert organisations that support people with HIV.

If I Take Antiretroviral Drugs During Pregnancy Will That Hurt My Baby

Not very many pregnant women have taken these drugs and the babies born to these women are still very young. To date, children exposed to these drugs during pregnancy havent had major problems. Its still too early to say for sure that there will not be problems. If you have questions about taking HIV drugs during pregnancy, you should call this toll-free number: 1-888-246-5840.

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What Is Hiv And How Is It Transmitted

HIV is a virus that can weaken the immune system to the point that it is unable to control some infections.

HIV infection is not the same thing as AIDS. AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV infection, when the immune system is at its weakest and a person has several specific illnesses.

AIDS is now very rare in Australia, as HIV treatments are highly effective at protecting the immune system from the virus.

Most people living with HIV in Australia can expect to live long, healthy lives without ever developing AIDS, if they are on effective treatment.

In Australia, HIV is commonly transmitted through:

• Anal or vaginal sex without the use of condoms.
• Having unprotected sex without using other prevention methods like PrEP or undetectable viral load or U=U .
• Sharing needles, syringes and other injecting equipment.

People who are HIV-positive and on treatment and have achieved and maintained an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV sexually.

For people who do not have HIV, regular use of condoms is the easiest way to prevent HIV.

For those at higher risk of HIV, PrEP is a medication that, when taken as prescribed, is up to 99% effective at preventing the virus.

Hiv And Planning A Family

, but for a woman who is HIV-positive, or who has a male partner with HIV, planning a family requires extra consideration.

If you are in this situation, seek professional advice and find out as much as you can before you become pregnant. It may help to talk the issues through with:

• The doctor who is treating you.
• Your HIV specialist, obstetrician or family planning specialist.
• The Chronic Viral Illness Clinic at Melbournes Royal Womens Hospital . CVI clinic staff are experienced and knowledgeable about HIV in pregnancy and can provide expert advice and assisted reproductive technology options for serodiscordant couples .
• A counsellor who specialises in this area.

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How Is Hiv/aids Diagnosed

Early HIV infection often causes no symptoms, and must be detected by testing a person’s blood for the presence of antibodiesdisease-fighting proteinsagainst HIV. These HIV antibodies generally do not reach levels high enough to detect by standard blood tests until 1 to 3 months following infection, and may take as long as 6 months. People exposed to HIV should be tested for HIV infection as soon as they think they may have been exposed to HIV.

When a person is highly likely to be infected with HIV and yet antibody tests are negative, a test for the presence of HIV itself in the blood is used. Repeat antibody testing at a later date, when antibodies to HIV are more likely to have developed, is often recommended.

Can You Be Born With Hiv Or Aids

Yes, a child can be born with HIV or AIDS! The infection is passed from the infected mother to the fetus during pregnancy for while delivery. Breastfeeding can also be a source of transmission of infection from mother to the child. However a baby born with HIV can lead a normal life just like their negative peers if he/she takes treatment correctly, take care of their general health, and go for the routine medical tests. In this article we will find out in detail about this dreaded infection.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Hiv/aids

Some people may develop a flu-like illness within a month after exposure to the HIV virus. But many people do not develop any symptoms at all when they first become infected. In addition, the symptoms that do appear, which usually disappear within a week to a month, are often mistaken for those of another viral infection. These may include:

• Fever

• Malaise

• Enlarged lymph nodes

Persistent or severe symptoms may not surface for 10 years or more after HIV first enters the body in adults, or within 2 years in children born with an HIV infection. This “asymptomatic” period of the infection is highly variable from person to person. But, during the asymptomatic period, HIV is actively infecting and killing cells of the immune system. Its most obvious effect is a decline in the blood levels of CD4+ T cells a key immune system infection fighter. The virus initially disables or destroys these cells without causing symptoms.

As the immune system deteriorates, complications begin to surface. The following are the most common complications, or symptoms, of AIDS. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

Some people develop frequent and severe herpes infections that cause mouth, genital, or anal sores, or a painful nerve disease known as shingles. Children may have delayed development or failure to thrive.

Reducing Hiv Transmission During Labour

Ways to reduce HIV transmission during birth include:

• Avoiding procedures in labour that may scratch or cut the babys skin, wherever possible .
• Giving antiretroviral medications to the newborn for around 4 weeks after birth.

Caesarean delivery is recommended if a woman:

• Has a detectable viral load, .
• Is not taking antiretroviral treatment.
• Experiences obstetric delivery complications .
• Has other medical illness complications.

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Is My Baby Also More Likely To Get Other Illnesses

Babies who get HIV might also get other illnesses, like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and tuberculosis. During your pregnancy, it is important for you to be tested for these diseases. If you have any of them, your baby will also be tested for them at birth, and treated if necessary.

Babies with HIV are more likely to get lung infections like Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia . Sometimes a baby gets PCP even before a blood test shows that the baby has HIV.

All babies of mothers with HIV infection or AIDS have to take an antibiotic all the time so that they will not get PCP. The antibiotic is usually trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole . Your baby should start taking this medicine at 6 weeks of age. If the HIV test at 4 to 6 months of age is negative, your baby can stop taking this medicine. Babies with HIV infection have to keep taking the medicine until they are 1 year old.

I Do Not Have Hiv But My Partner Does Can I Get Pregnant Without Getting Hiv

Women have a than men. If you do not have HIV but your male partner does, the risk of getting HIV while trying to get pregnant can be reduced but not totally eliminated.

Talk to your doctor about HIV medicine you can take to help protect you and your baby from HIV.

You may also want to consider donor sperm or assisted reproductive technology, such as semen washing or in vitro fertilization, to get pregnant. These options can be expensive and may not be covered by your health insurance.

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How Is Hiv/aids Transmitted

What Can I Do Before Getting Pregnant To Lower My Risk Of Passing Hiv To My Baby

If you plan to become pregnant, talk to your doctor right away. Your doctor can talk with you about how HIV can affect your health during pregnancy and your unborn baby’s health. Your doctor can work with you to prepare for a healthy pregnancy before you start trying to become pregnant.

Everyone living with HIV should take HIV medicines to stay healthy. If you are thinking about becoming pregnant and are not taking HIV treatment, it is important that you begin, because this will lower your chances of passing the virus to your baby when you become pregnant.

There are ways for you to get pregnant that will limit your partner’s risk of HIV infection. You can ask your doctor about ways to get pregnant and still protect your partner.

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Best Way To Prevent Hiv In Children

The best way to Prevent HIV in Children is that if a to be mother is tested positive for the infection of HIV proper care should be taken during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding. This reduces the chances of child getting the infection from mother, a lot. Children other than being infected from the mother can get HIV from various other means like in some countries like India, child marriages are common. Hence young girl can get the infection from her older age husband and further she can pass it to her children. In countries like Europe drug abuse is very common and even children are not safe from it.

Young children like 10 years of age are getting HIV through sharing needles during taking drugs. While in underdeveloped countries this chance of children being infected is increased due to the transfusion of infected blood or use of unsterilized injections. So not only the children of HIV positive parents are at risk, some social and economical factors of the region can make a child prone too to get this dread infection.

How Do I Know If I Have Hiv

If you are pregnant, it is important to attend your antenatal appointments, as these are the times when you can get an HIV test.

Your healthcare professional will offer you a test at your first appointment. If the result is positive you will be encouraged to start antiretroviral treatment as soon as possible. You will also be offered a test in your third trimester .Remember that, whether you are pregnant or not, if you do have HIV you may not show any symptoms. The only way to know whether you are HIV-positive is to get tested.

If at any point during your pregnancy or breastfeeding stage you think you have been exposed to HIV, you may be able to take post-exposure prophylaxis . You need to take PEP within 72 hours of possible exposure to prevent HIV from establishing in your body and being passed on to your baby. If youre breastfeeding, you should discuss whether or not to continue breastfeeding with your healthcare professional.

If you are pregnant, it is important to attend your antenatal appointments, as this is where you can get an HIV test.

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Prevention Of Transmission For Children

Because a child’s HIV status may not be known, all schools and day care centers should adopt special procedures for handling accidents, such as nosebleeds, and for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces contaminated with blood. During cleanup, personnel are advised to avoid having their skin come in contact with blood. Latex gloves should be routinely available, and hands should be washed after the gloves are removed. Contaminated surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected with a freshly prepared bleach solution containing 1 part of household bleach to 10 to 100 parts of water. These practices are followed not only for children with HIV infection but for all children and in all situations involving blood.

Getting Pregnant When You Are Hiv

If you want to conceive, are an HIV-positive woman with an HIV-negative male partner, you can choose artificial insemination. You can do this at home using your partners semen, rather than having unprotected sex.

To improve your chances of becoming pregnant through artificial insemination it is best to do it at the most fertile time in your menstrual cycle.

Learning about fertility awareness will help you to know when you are most likely to conceive.

Speak to your GP, HIV doctor, sexual health nurse, or fertility specialist.

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What Can I Do To Lower My Risk Of Passing Hiv To My Baby

Thanks to more HIV testing and new medicines, the number of children infected with HIV during pregnancy, labor and childbirth, and breastfeeding has decreased by 90% since the mid-1990s.

The steps below can lower the risk of giving HIV to your baby:

Step 1

Step 1

Tell your doctor you want to get pregnant. Your doctor can help you decide if you need to change your treatments to lower your viral load, to help you get pregnant without passing HIV to your partner, and to prevent you from passing the virus to your baby. He or she will also help you get as healthy as possible before you get pregnant to improve your chances of a healthy pregnancy and baby. Don’t stop using condoms for STI prevention and another method of birth control for pregnancy prevention until your doctor says you are healthy enough to start trying.

Step 2

Step 2

Get prenatal care. Prenatal care is the care you receive from your doctor while you are pregnant. You need to work closely with your doctor throughout your pregnancy to monitor your treatment, your health, and your baby’s health.

Step 3

Step 3

Start HIV treatment. You can start treatment before pregnancy to lower the risk of passing HIV to your baby. If you are already on treatment, do not stop, but do see your doctor right away. Some HIV drugs should not be used while you’re pregnant. For other drugs, you may need a different dosage.

Step 4

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Can One Live With Hiv For 30 Years Without Showing Signs

Vision Reporter

We found out recently that my brother who is 30 years old is HIV-positive. He is now sick and weak. Our father died 15 years ago and he too had AIDS, I am not sure of my mothers status since we never talk about HIV at home and she lives out of the country.

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Pregnancy Childbirth & Breastfeeding And Hiv

FAST FACTS

• A pregnant woman living with HIV can pass on the virus to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth and through breastfeeding.
• If you are a woman living with HIV, taking antiretroviral treatment correctly during pregnancy and breastfeeding can virtually eliminate the risk of passing on the virus to your baby.
• Attending antenatal appointments means you can get tested for HIV and if needed receive treatment and medical advice to help keep you and your baby healthy.

Hiv During Pregnancy And Childbirth

Women living with HIV who are on treatment and have a stable undetectable viral load are extremely unlikely to transmit HIV to their baby during pregnancy and childbirth. There is a 1 in 1000 chance of transmitting HIV to the baby during pregnancy and delivery, when a woman is on antiretroviral treatment and has a viral load below 50 copies/ml .

HIV-positive women who are on treatment and have stable undetectable viral load, have a 1-2% chance of transmitting HIV to their baby if they breastfeed for 12 months.

So, although it is unlikely that a woman will transmit HIV to her baby when breastfeeding it is currently advised not to breastfeed.

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