Has used intravenous drugs or been exposed to needles for non-medical reasons. Had blood transfusions or treatment with pooled-blood products between 1977 and 1985. Has a current or past history of other sexually transmitted diseases. Eight percent of babies of women treated with AZT became infected, compared with 25 percent among babies of untreated women. Neither mothers nor babies had significant side effects from the drug treatment, other than mild anemia in some treated infants that cleared up when the drug was stopped.
Studies show that the treated babies, through age three, continue to develop normally.
Studies since then have found that AZT also is effective in preventing infection in babies of women with more severe illness, including women who took AZT before pregnancy. The CDC now recommends AZT for all HIV-positive pregnant women. However, these drugs may be very beneficial for the health of the pregnant woman. A pregnant woman with HIV or AIDS requires an individualized assessment of her health and a discussion of the risks and benefits of various HIV-fighting drugs in pregnancy. However, if a woman takes a combination of HIV-fighting drugs in pregnancy, AZT should be included as part of her treatment since it is the only drug proven to help prevent infection in her baby.