Pregnant women should receive combination therapy before, during and after pregnancy if their health, viral load or CD4 counts indicate that it is necessary.
Even if therapy is not needed for the woman’s health, AZT (Retrovir)-based combos are recommended for all pregnant women with viral loads over 1,000. For those with lower viral loads, AZT alone is still recommended, and regimens that include AZT should be considered.
If a woman’s current regimen doesn’t include AZT, she should add it after the first trimester.
Women with viral loads above 1,000 near the time of delivery should consider a C-section.
Pregnant women with HIV should receive intravenous AZT during labor and delivery.
Babies should receive oral AZT for the first six weeks after birth.
Five meds are preferred for pregnant women with HIV: AZT, 3TC (Epivir), Viramune (nevirapine), Viracept (nelfinavir) and Invirase (saquinavir) boosted with Norvir (ritonavir). This means that completely baby-safe HIV drug regimens are within your reach during pregnancy.
