Living with HIV

What is HIV?

• HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks your body’s immune system, particularly CD4 cells (also called T-cells).
• Without treatment, HIV weakens your ability to fight infections and disease.
• If left untreated, HIV can progress to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), which occurs when the immune system is profoundly weak.

Living with HIV

• With modern medication (antiretroviral therapy or ARV), people with HIV can live healthy, productive, and nearly normal lifespans.
• Successful treatment reduces the amount of HIV in the body to undetectable levels, which means it can't be transmitted sexually (U = Undetectable = Untransmittable).
• Staying on medication and seeing a health professional regularly are key components of living well with HIV.

Facts about HIV Treatment (Antiretroviral Therapy or ARV)

ARV is lifelong medication, which means you need to take it every day.

ARV medication:

• Reduces the amount of HIV in your body (your “viral load”).
• Allows your immune system to stay strong and healthy.
• Lowers the chance of complications and progression to AIDS.
• Prevention: If you maintain an undetectable viral load, you can't sexually transmit HIV to your partners (U = Undetectable = Untransmittable).

I’m HIV Positive and Pregnant – What Now?

With proper treatment and care during pregnancy:

• The risk of passing HIV from mother to baby drops from about 30% to less than 1%.
• Antiretroviral medication during pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding plays a key role in protecting your baby.
• Your health care team will closely monitor you and your baby's health.

It’s recommended to give birth in a health care facility where specialized care is available if complications arise.