HIV
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). At least 90-95% of individuals who are infected with the HIV virus will, within three months of exposure, develop enough antibodies to have a positive HIV test; over 99% of HIV infected individuals will have a positive test within six months. If the woman has the virus, it can be passed to, and infect the baby.
The HIV test detects antibodies to HIV in the blood. Although, a positive test HIV could mean a woman may be infected with HIV, the test may be positive for other reasons. The laboratory will automatically perform additional testing to determine conclusively if there is HIV infection. If the confirmatory tests indicate HIV infection, it does not mean the individual has AIDS. A health care provider can discuss this further.
A negative test for the antibody to HIV means either there is no infection, or a sufficient amount of the antibody has not yet been produced to be detected. If a woman participates in high risk activities that may transmit HIV, such as unprotected sexual contact or intravenous drug use, it is recommended that she be retested later.
Related Tests: HIV antibody test
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