HIV infection in pregnancy

Universal antenatal screening for HIV is recommended, as history and risk-factor-based screening can lead to missed diagnoses. Nonetheless, the following key risk factors, if present, increase the possibility of maternal exposure to infection, and should be elicited during the first antenatal assessment:

• History of past or current injection drug use

• History of past or current sexually transmitted infections

• History of unprotected sexual encounters during pregnancy (including receptive anal intercourse and penile-vaginal intercourse)

• History of multiple sexual partners or transactional sex.

Early diagnosis and treatment of maternal HIV infection can greatly reduce the risk of perinatal transmission.