Detectable Viral Load at Delivery Among U.S. Women Who Initiated ART During Pregnancy

In developed countries, the use of potent combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) by pregnant HIV-infected women has decreased the rate of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) to <2%. In a multicenter observational study conducted in the U.S among ART-naive women who initiated treatment during pregnancy between 2002 and 2011, IMPAACT network investigators sought to identify risk factors associated with having a detectable viral load (VL) at delivery.

Of the 671 participants, 81% were aged 20 to 34, and 59% were black non-Hispanic. Although 58% had learned of their HIV infection during their current pregnancy, the others had learned earlier but had not begun therapy (many of them, because it had not been prescribed). Initial ART regimens incl…