Dr Theron Moodley’s Expert Opinion on HIV Transmission Prevention during Pregnancy
ACCORDING TO DR THERON MOODLEY, perinatal HIV transmission can occur when HIV is spread from an HIV-positive woman to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth (also referred to as labour and delivery), or nursing (through breast milk). Perinatal HIV transmission, also known as mother-to-child HIV transmission, is a type of HIV transmission that occurs during pregnancy.
The use of HIV medicines and other approaches has helped reduce the risk of prenatal HIV transmission to 1% or less in the United States and Europe. (Antiretrovirals are HIV drugs.)
Is HIV testing advised for pregnant women?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that women get tested for HIV before getting pregnant or as soon as possible during each pregnancy. Dr Theron Moodley feels that the sooner HIV is discovered, the sooner HIV therapy may begin.
All pregnant women or planning to get pregnant should encourage their partners to get tested for HIV and, if possible, other sexually transmitted illnesses (STDs). STDs have been shown to increase viral levels in HIV patients. If a spouse is infected with HIV, they should take HIV medicine to keep healthy and prevent transmission.
How do HIV drugs minimize the risk of HIV transmission during pregnancy?
To avoid perinatal HIV transmission, women with HIV who want to conceive should start HIV therapy before getting pregnant. According to Dr. Theron Moodley, HIV-positive pregnant women should take HIV drugs to reduce the risk of perinatal HIV transmission. When HIV drugs are given early, they can be more effective at preventing newborn HIV transmission.
Pregnant women with HIV should take HIV drugs throughout their pregnancy and childbirth to avoid perinatal transmission of HIV. HIV drugs also protect the lady’s health.
When HIV drugs are taken as prescribed, they prevent HIV from multiplying and decrease the amount of Hiv in the blood (called the viral load). The viral load is said to be undetectable when the level of HIV in the blood is too low to be detected by a viral load test.
The risk of HIV perinatal transmission is lowest when a woman with HIV has an undetectable viral load during pregnancy and childbirth. Maintaining an undetectable viral load also benefits mother-to-overall health.
According to Dr Theron Moodley, some HIV medications used during pregnancy and passed from the pregnant woman to her unborn baby via cesarean delivery (also known as a C-section) can lower the risk of perinatal HIV transmission in women with high viral load (with over 1,000 copies/mL) or an unidentified viral load near the time of delivery.
To reduce the danger of perinatal HIV transmission, babies delivered to HIV-positive moms are given HIV drugs after birth. Several factors impact which HIV drugs newborns receive and for how long.
Is taking HIV medicines while pregnant safe?
HIV drugs, in general, do not increase the incidence of congenital disabilities. Most HIV drugs, according to Dr. Theron Moodley, are safe to take throughout pregnancy. Health care providers outline the benefits and risks of various HIV medications while counselling women with HIV in determining which HIV meds to use during pregnancy or while attempting to conceive.
Is there another way to prevent HIV transmission when pregnant?
Despite continuing maternal HIV drug treatment after childbirth, Dr Theron Moodley believes that an HIV-positive woman can pass the virus to her infant while breastfeeding. In the United States, infant formula is a safe and readily available alternative to breast milk.
HIV-positive mothers in the United States must not breastfeed their infants for these reasons. Women living with HIV can discuss alternative feeding options with their health care providers before their babies are born, or even if they already are breastfeeding.
Moreover, babies should not consume food that has been pre-chewed by such an HIV-positive person.
For more information about Dr Theron Moodley visit:
https://the-dots.com/users/dr-theron-moodley-1170841
https://drtheronmoodley.weebly.com
https://www.crunchbase.com/person/dr-theron-moodley
https://architizer.com/firms/dr-theron-moodley
https://drtheronmoodley0.wixsite.com/website
https://drtheronmoodley.weebly.com/
https://www.instagram.com/theronmoodley/
https://twitter.com/dr_moodley https://bloggingvile.com/dr-theron-moodley-what-makes-one-a-great-gynecologist/ https://drtheronmoodley.wordpress.com/
