Mothers, Children and HIV/AIDS
If you are living with HIV, you can deliver an HIV-negative baby if you take enough precautions
- English
- العربية
I am a wife with no extra-marital relationships, am I at risk?
Even if the wife is loyal to her husband and does not have any other sexual partners, she may be at risk of infection through unprotected marital relationship (without the use of a condom) if her husband:
- Has multiple sexual partners.
- Complains of Sexually-Transmitted Infections (STIs).
- Uses unsterile or shared needles (as in the case of addiction).
- Had a contaminated blood transfusion.
- Was sexually assaulted.
- Was born to mothers with HIV.
Therefore, if a spouse is thought to have HIV, a condom should be used to protect the other spouse, especially if no HIV testing has been yet done. If you are a wife, pregnant or mother and you doubt you’re at risk of HIV infection, this is a contact list for free counseling and testing.
What should I do if I find out that I am infected with the virus to protect my family?
I am an HIV-positive mother (living with the virus) and I found out that I’m pregnant, what should I do?
In addition, it is recommended to:
- Regularly follow up with a healthcare professional during postnatal visits.
- Eat balanced healthy meals.
- Have protected sex (using a condom).
- Consult the doctor immediately in case of any symptoms of Sexually-Transmitted Infections (STIs).
- Take good care of personal hygiene.
ِA woman living with HIV can have healthy children if she follows the doctor’s instructions.
Is there a difference between the exposure of men and women to HIV/AIDS?
Women are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS for physiological and social factors.
Physiological factors include:
- The anatomy of the reproductive system (in terms of structure and size) allows a greater chance of virus transmission to women than men.
- Women are generally more susceptible to reproductive diseases, which increases the chance of virus transmission.
- The virus is found in more quantities in the male’s semen, so it can be easily transmitted to his female partner.
Therefore, a woman who finds out that her husband is HIV-positive should ensure the usage of condoms to protect herself from the infection.
Social factors include:
- Financial dependence on men along with the high levels of illiteracy and awareness of reproductive diseases among females in many areas in Egypt makes it difficult for women to negotiate condom use or to refuse sex if they suspect the partner is infection.
- When there’s a big age gap between a couple, the husband may have had previous sexual relations, making the wife more vulnerable. In addition, in rural communities, child marriage makes girls more susceptible to infection because of the immaturity of their reproductive organs.
