If you are found to be HIV positive, you will get specialist care, along with counselling and support for yourself and, if you wish, for your partner, family or whanau.

Your health care providers are trained to provide the best care and support for you and your baby.

How effective is the treatment?

There is very effective treatment available to prevent HIV being passed on to a baby.  Without treatment there is between a 25 and 31.5 percent chance the baby will be born with HIV.  With treatment, the chance of the baby being born with HIV is less than 1 percent.

Early treatment and support for mothers with HIV is also important because it helps them to remain well.

What is the treatment?

Pregnant women will usually be offered a combination of treatment and interventions:

• medicines during pregnancy and birth to help women stay healthy for longer, and to prevent women from passing the virus on to the baby
• advice about safe ways for the baby to be delivered
• medicines for the baby will be offered for a few weeks after birth.  Current international evidence suggests that the medicines used before and after birth causes no harm in babies
• advice about safe feeding for your baby. Currently in New Zealand where there is access to sterilising equipment and clean water making artificial feeding a safe alternative breast feeding is not recommended for women who are HIV positive.  This policy is in line with World Health Organisation recommendations.