Protecting You And Your Child From HIV

During pregnancy, an expecting mother and in fact, everyone else around her is always busy ensuring that nothing happens to the baby or the mother. Pregnancy can be one of the most beautiful yet one of the most intense moments in any woman’s life, so everything is made sure to protect the health of the mother and her baby. The miracle of bringing a completely new life on to this planet Earth is something that no one wants to leave up to chance and risk, so the best care is always taken of a pregnant woman, to ensure a comfortable pregnancy period for her, and safe delivery of the child when the time comes.

But, in spite of the best efforts of everyone involved, sometimes some things can not be prevented. There are many complications that can arise during pregnancy. The minor adversities which can affect a pregnant woman include sudden pains, digestion problems or even sometimes psychological problems. But all these can easily be kept in check or treated with medicines and can also be prevented beforehand with the proper precautions. But some severe complications may arise during pregnancy, and they have disastrous consequences on the healths of both the mother and the unborn child. One such disease is the dreaded HIV/AIDS, which may even be present before pregnancy and may have gone undetected till it becomes too late. Thankfully, nowadays there are some HIV/AIDS medicine which can at least help keep the ill effects of the disease in check.

What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which causes the deadly disease AIDS or Acute Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. This disease is considered deadly because instead of itself being fatal, it completely disrupts the immune system of the body, which leaves the body susceptible to any and every disease. The body cannot fight back any foreign infection and something as simple as a common Influenza or Flu infection can also become very severe. Most deaths in AIDS is actually caused by other diseases which occurred due to the deficiency of the immune system of the patient.

Since the virus responsible for this disease or HIV is spread via the blood of the patients, there is a huge risk involved when or if the patient becomes pregnant. This is because a constant exchange of blood takes place during the developing foetus in the womb and the mother, and so the virus can be transmitted to the foetus very easily. This can result in premature death of the baby or the birth of a very weak and vulnerable baby.

Thankfully, modern research has provided a few successful methods for HIV/AIDS treatment during pregnancy. These methods, which include both the use of drugs and also some surgical methods like blood transfusion, have shown some promise in preventing the transmission of the virus from the mother to the baby. Even if the mother may not be cured by this method, the disease can be kept in check and the good health and safety of the baby can be ensured.