Recommended routine screening for HIV testing in pregnancy for women.  

Pregnant woman can expect to be offered an HIV test along with their first antenatal blood tests.  HIV testing in pregnancy is something we want to be considered as part of normal antenatal care, along with the other screening tests offered such as Hepatitis B and Syphilis. Women have the option to decline the test,

Most pregnant women with HIV do not know they have the infection The test is the only way to tell. If you do have HIV, you can pass the virus on to others, including your unborn baby. The sooner you know you have HIV, the sooner you can get treatment and support for yourself, your partner and family or whānau and minimise the risk of passing the virus to your baby. Treatment in pregnancy reduces the risk of the HIV virus being passed to the baby from 30% to less than 1%.

Most women will be found not to have HIV.

Download the HIV Testing in Pregnancy Leaflet for more information.