A mother who’s living with HIV can transmit it to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. The earlier HIV is diagnosed and treated, the more effectively HIV medicine treatment will prevent transmission to the baby.

What is Mother-to-Child Transmission?

The transmission of HIV from the mother to the baby is called Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) Or Vertical Transmission. These are the ways MTCT occurs:

During pregnancy – the foetus is infected with the HIV through the mother’s blood crossing the placenta.

During delivery – the baby is infected with HIV through the mother’s cervical secretions or blood during childbirth.

During breastfeeding – the baby is infected with HIV through the mother’s breast milk or blood during breastfeeding.

Preventing vertical transmission

Get tested for HIV as soon as possible to know your status – If you or your partner engage in behaviours that put you at risk of HIV, get tested again in the third trimester. You should also encourage your partner to get tested for HIV.

Take PrEP if you don’t have HIV but are at risk

If you have a partner living with HIV and you’re considering getting pregnant, talk to your healthcare provider about PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis). PrEP may be an option to help protect you and your baby from getting HIV while you try to get pregnant, during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Your healthcare provider will advise if PrEP is right for you.

Take Antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat HIV

If you’re living with HIV and take ART as prescribed throughout pregnancy and childbirth, and give HIV medicine to your baby for 4 – 6 weeks after giving birth or as directed by your health care provider, your risk of transmitting HIV to your baby can be less than 1%.

If your partner has HIV, encourage your partner to get and stay on treatment. This will help prevent your partner from transmitting HIV to you. People with HIV who take ART as prescribed,  get and keep an undetectable viral load and they have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV negative partner through sex.

Programme for the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT)

Taking ART can dramatically reduce the risk of you passing HIV onto your baby. Many women living with HIV have given birth to HIV negative children by taking these precautions:

Antenatal HIV testing and counselling.

Taking HIV drugs during pregnancy.

Making a careful choice between caesarean section and vaginal delivery by speaking to your healthcare provider about the most suitable delivery method for you.

Giving the new baby an anti-HIV drug for a few weeks.

Avoiding unintended pregnancy.

Appropriate ART regimen for mothers and newborns.

Support for safer infant feeding options and practices.

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