Louise wonders whether a woman should take into account the stage of her disease. These are hard choices. HIV may cross the placental barrier or it can be transmitted, as she said, during delivery. She could transmit it to her HIV -ve baby if she breastfed. Although the amount of virus in breastmilk is very small, the overall exposure is tremendous, given the number of times a day a new-born nurses.
Babies also have an undeveloped immune system.
Or, mother's nipples may be cracked, allowing infection to pass. A pregnant woman with a higher health status may have a lower risk of transmission. The rate of transmission in some countries may be higher because of overall lower health status. In some countries on the African continent, practitioners have tried to use vitamin A to boost women's immune systems. Louise reminded us that teenagers have a disproportionate rate of STDs.