The AIDS-virus HIV can be passed on from a pregnant woman
to her child during pregnancy and delivery, and can be transmitted
through the mother's milk while breast-feeding. Without any
medical treatment the risk of infection is very high (up to
40 %). Yet with proper treatment this risk can be reduced
to under 2 %.
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There was a suggestion
that pregnancy might affect the already weakened immune
system of an HIV-positive woman. But over the last few
years, pregnancy has not been shown to speed up the
progression of the HIV-infection in women who have high
t-cell counts and show no symptoms of AIDS. (Remember:
'AIDS' is just the last state of an HIV-infection, when
the destruction of the immune system leads to specific
illnesses). In contrast, the life with their beloved
child seems to have a positive effect on some women's
health.
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Additional risks for the child may originate from the mum's
antiretroviral drugs. Animal experiments have shown risks
for some of these antiretroviral drugs, whilst others seem
to be safe and some are not even tested. Nobody can tell for
sure about long-term effects, because these drugs haven't
been in use in pregnant women for long enough.
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