Pregnancy with HIV infection breeds major health complications, needs specialized treatment

It came as a bolt from the blue to thirty-three-year-old pregnant Ayesha (not real name) when she was diagnosed with HIV. She was happy with her two children but unexpectedly became pregnant for the third time. Her husband Nuru Safa is an expatriate Bangladeshi living in a Middle Eastern country. He comes to Bangladesh every year for 15 days to one month to spend time with his family and dear and near ones.

Last time Nuru came here five months ago. After his return, Ayesha could understand that she became pregnant for the third time. Though she was happy, but she was not well physically facing many health problems. She was suffering from fever every night. She became weak only after two months of her pregnancy.

Later, she went to their family gynecologist. The doctor gave her some tests. After getting the tests reports, the physician informed her that she was suffering from HIV. The doctor suggested her to be more cautious during her pregnancy

Gynecologist Dr Monowara Haque said HIV infected women could take child. But there are many risks for HIV infected pregnant women compared to a normal pregnant mother, she added.

She said child can be infected by HIV in three ways- during pregnancy, delivery and during feeding. “The all women who are conceiving in the recent time have been advised to go under test of HIV. For this, the women would become more cautious during their pregnancy,” she added.

She said it is needed to take safe antiretroviral treatment for protecting children. It is possible for the children to reduce the risk of infection by HIV by one percent if the mother takes proper treatment, she added.

Haque said the HIV infected women who are planning to take child should take advanced advice from the doctors so that they can give birth to a healthy child. Besides, every HIV infected mother would take advice of concerned physicians when they would feed their children and they (mother and children) should go under the care of doctors, she added.

She said children could be infected by the virus if there is no proper treatment management. For this, everyone should remain alert on this issue and the patients will have to visit the doctors regularly, she added.

Dr. Ishrat Jahan said transmission from mother to child is one of the ways of HIV transmission. “If we consider maternal health and do integration of maternal health and HIV, there would be less risk of HIV transmission from mother to child. For example, if a mother is found with HIV positive, she would be counseled for ARV and special services to reduce the risk of transmission. That is one justification for integration of HIV and maternal health,” she added. (BSS)