British HIV Association guidelines for the management of HIV infection in pregnant women 2012.

The overall purpose of these guidelines is to provide guidance on best clinical practice in the treatment and management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive pregnant women in the UK. The scope includes guidance on the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) both to prevent HIV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) and for the welfare of the mother herself, guidance on mode of delivery and recommendations in specific patient populations where other factors need to be taken into consideration,such as coinfection with other agents. The guidelines are aimed at clinical professionals directly involved with, and responsible for, the care of pregnant women with HIV infection.

Antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy: a focus on safety.

Antiretroviral compounds differ from most other new pharmaceutical agents in that they have become widely prescribed in pregnancy in the absence of proof of safety. They are prescribed for the treatment of the mother and to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV to the fetus. In the animal models tested to date, no increased risk of malformations has been demonstrated for some compounds whereas others have been associated with malformations or developmental abnormalities in rats, mice or rabbits and, in the case of efavirenz, monkeys. Zidovudine monotherapy is still prescribed to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Combinations of 3 or more compounds are recommended when treatment of the mother is deemed necessary because of advanced HIV infection. Until recently, in vitro toxicity studies relevant to pregnancy were restricted to single agents; no animal teratogenicity or carcinogenesis studies of combination therapy have been published. Despite many thousands of women having taken antiretroviral therapy to reduce the risk of transmission, documented experience in human pregnancy remains sadly lacking, with the possible exception of zidovudine which has been prescribed in clinical trials to several hundred mother-infant pairs. For other compounds and for the numerous permutations of combination therapy, data are available only from small phase I/II studies, from retrospective investigations and from the prospective arm of the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Register (i.e. pregnancies in women taking antiretrovirals who were registered before delivery and then followed up). Antiretroviral monotherapy and combination therapy is widely prescribed in pregnancy because: (i) with appropriate management, which includes antiretroviral therapy, the risk of mother-to-child transmission can be reduced from 15 to 25% to less than 1%; (ii) pregnant women with advanced HIV infection require therapy; (iii) combination therapy with at least 3 compounds significantly reduces morbidity and mortality compared with dual or monotherapy; and (iv) the benefits of therapy for both the mother and the infant outweigh the risk. The choice of antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy may be influenced by the indication (prevention of transmission or maternal treatment), past antiretroviral therapy exposure/drug resistance, effects of pregnancy on the pharmacokinetics of the drug and factors influencing tolerability and adherence. In pregnancy, tolerability may be even more important than usual, especially if therapy exacerbates common complications of pregnancy, such as vomiting and glucose intolerance.

Antenatal serum screening for genital herpes: a study of knowledge and attitudes of women at a central London hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of women regarding genital herpes and specifically serum screening for prevention of vertical transmission. SETTING: Antenatal clinic at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London. POPULATION: Randomly selected women at their first antenatal visit. METHODS: A questionnaire focussing on the women's knowledge of, and their attitudes about, genital herpes was completed. The results were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). RESULTS: One hundred women were surveyed over six weeks. The majority (80%) were aware that genital herpes was a sexually transmitted disease and 60% were aware that it can be transmitted to the baby in pregnancy. Only 34% thought that genital herpes is always symptomatic and 56% believed that they would know for certain if they had herpes. Sixty percent thought they would know whether their partners had ever been infected. Eighty percent of our sample population were prepared to be screened, and 76% would also encourage their sexual partner to have a blood test. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the study population had a good knowledge about genital herpes and that there would be acceptance of antenatal testing. Whether serum screening is cost-effective must still be evaluated. The impact of such a screening on a couple's relationship is potentially deleterious and needs to be assessed carefully before a screening programme for genital herpes is actually introduced. The next phase of our study will address this issue.