People should get tested for HIV before they become pregnant or as early as possible during each pregnancy and during the third trimester. The earlier HIV is detected, the sooner HIV medicines (also known as antiretrovirals) can be started.
Perinatal transmission of HIV means passing HIV from the mother or birthing parent to their child during pregnancy, childbirth (also called labor and delivery), or breastfeeding (through breast milk). Perinatal transmission of HIV was previously called mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Pregnant people with HIV should take antiretroviral therapy (ART) throughout pregnancy and childbirth to prevent perinatal transmission of HIV. ART is the use of a combination of HIV medicines (antiretrovirals) to treat HIV. The use of HIV medicines and other strategies have helped lower the rate of perinatal transmission of HIV to 1% or less in the United States and Europe.
Most pregnant people with HIV can have vaginal deliveries. If someone has a high viral load (more than 1,000 copies/mL) or an unknown viral load near the time of delivery, a scheduled cesarean delivery (sometimes called a C-section) can reduce the risk of perinatal transmission of HIV.
After birth, babies born to people with HIV should receive HIV medicines to reduce the risk of perinatal transmission. Several factors determine what HIV medicines babies receive and how long they receive the medicines.
Although HIV can be transmitted through breastfeeding, taking HIV medicines and having an undetectable viral load during pregnancy and throughout breastfeeding lower the risk of passing HIV to less than 1%. Pregnant people with HIV should talk to their health care provider about options for feeding their baby.