In June 2005, the Minister of Health decided that every pregnant woman should be offered a test for HIV. A number of blood tests are already offered to pregnant women, and HIV testing was added to those tests.

The Ministry of Health recommend that an HIV test is offered to all pregnant women.  HIV screening has been offered to women throughout the country region by region and this will continue until it is available all over New Zealand. The programme is expected to be in place nationwide by June 2010. 

If the programme has not started in your region you can still have a test.  If it is not offered to you ask your GP or midwife.  They can organise the test at any time in your pregnancy, but it is best to have it early with your other first antenatal blood tests.

Babies can get HIV from their mothers before they are born or during the labour and birth.  But if you find out that you have HIV, you can have treatment to prevent this.

Treatment will usually be medication in pregnancy and during labour, not breastfeeding your baby and your baby having medicine after he or she is born. With these treatments the risk of the baby getting HIV drops from 31.5 out of 100 to less than 1 out of 100.

Don't be afraid to ask your midwife, GP or Obstetrician about testing for HIV in pregnancy.  It is normal for everyone to have the test.