Domestic violence specialists estimate the rate of abuse among HIV-positive pregnant women may be even higher, particularly among young women. Women who are abused during pregnancy suffer greatly, as do their babies. Battered women are at increased risk for poor weight gain, infection, bleeding, anemia and substance abuse during pregnancy. Babies born to abused women are more likely to be underweight and premature. All of these outcomes are associated with increased risk of vertical transmission.
Help is available for women who are victims of domestic violence.
Breast-Feeding HIV is present in breast milk. It is unclear whether and to what degree anti-HIV treatment changes this rate. Women with safe alternatives to breast milk are urged to avoid breast-feeding to decrease the risk of transmission. Commentary Advances in managing HIV disease have offered many benefits in maternal and child health, most notably in terms of the reduction in rates of vertical transmission. Yet, anti-HIV therapy is only one part of a vertical transmission prevention strategy.