A gap in the way Texas cared for pregnant women sometimes cost some of the state’s most innocent residents – newborn babies – their lives.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
To remedy that, part of a law that took effect this month requires health care providers to test pregnant women for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, at some point during the last three months of pregnancy unless the woman objects.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
Mothers-to-be generally will be billed for the test, the cost of which varies depending on who does it. The cost is expected to be covered by insurance or Medicaid, said Allison Lowery, a spokeswoman for the Department of State Health Services.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
Before the law, the state required doctors and other medical providers to test pregnant women for HIV at the first prenatal visit and at the time of birth. But because a woman’s HIV status can change during her pregnancy, potentially without her or her doctor knowing it, by the time she goes into labor, it could be too late.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
Under provisions in House Bill 1795, which took effect Jan. 1, women who test positive for HIV can start getting antiretroviral drugs immediately to reduce the chances of infecting their baby. The baby gets treatment at birth and for the next six weeks. Women who object to being tested can opt out and are given information about having the test done anonymously. Health care providers also must provide the mothers information about the risks of transmission.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
Experts say that infection can occur during pregnancy and that women with more virus in their blood are thought to have a higher risk of infecting their babies. More often, the transmission is thought to occur just before or during delivery because of exposure to the mother’s blood. The early testing also gives doctors time to plan for the birth because a woman might need a cesarean section delivery, depending on the amount of virus in her blood.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
Without treatment, one in four pregnant women infected with HIV will transmit the disease to her baby, according to data provided by the Department of State Health Services. Treating the woman during her pregnancy can cut the risk of transmission to about 1 percent.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit
The number of women transmitting HIV to babies is small, an estimated 100 to 200 U.S. babies a year, said Dr. Judy Levison, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine. She hopes laws like H.B. 1795 will get that number closer to zero.home hiv test, hiv self test, home hiv kit