Pregnancy outcome in women infected with HIV-1 receiving combination antiretroviral therapy before versus after conception

Abstract

Objective: The potential adverse effects of antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy are discrepant and few studies, mostly from Europe, have provided information about pregnancy outcomes of those already on treatment at conception. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of antiretrovirals (ARVs) on pregnancy outcome according to the timing of treatment initiation in a cohort of pregnant women from Brazil infected with HIV. Methods: A prospective cohort of 696 pregnant women followed up in one single centre between 1996 and 2006 was studied. Patients who had ARV treatment before pregnancy were compared with those treated after the first trimester. The outcomes evaluated were preterm delivery (PTD) (Results: Patients who were using ARVs pre-conception had higher rates of LBW (33.3% vs 16.5%; pConclusions: We identified an increased risk for LBW and PTD in patients who had HAART prior to pregnancy.