HIV, AIDS in Pregnancy Program

HIV-positive pregnant women and their families receive state-of-the-art care in a supportive clinical environment the EVMS Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Together with the Children's AIDS Research and Education Center at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters and the Combined Immunodeficiency Clinic in the Adult Infectious Disease Clinic located at Hofheimer Hall, seropositive women are guaranteed the most comprehensive and up-to-date HIV care in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

HIV care is provided by us to more than 95% of HIV-positive pregnant women in the region of Southeastern Virginia and Northern North Carolina. In the past few years, approximately 60 to 70 pregnant women with HIV have been managed per year by the HIV in Pregnancy Program at EVMS.

The program serves as a center for research in the field of HIV/AIDS through the National Institutes of Health [NIH]. This allows families receiving HIV-related care to participate in the newest medical treatment regimens to combat this disease. The
HIV in Pregnancy Program was a clinical site for the ACTG 185 clinical trial in pregnancy, which has now been completed and has significantly impacted medical management of this disorder in pregnancy nationwide. This program is also a recipient of Ryan White Funding, which is provided to support the cost of anti-viral medications for indigent women with HIV in pregnancy.

All women receive High Risk Obstetrical care through the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, with consultation from the adult infectious disease specialists. Seropositive women also meet with pediatric infectious disease specialists during their pregnancy so that they may understand the care that their baby will need after delivery. After delivery, follow-up with continued specialized care is arranged to assure no interruption in medical therapy for HIV for both mother and baby.

Since the inception of this multidisciplinary and unique HIV in pregnancy program in 1992, the perinatal transmission rate (from mother to baby) of HIV in the Hampton Roads region has dropped dramatically from 50% (one of the highest in the nation) to less than 2% in 2006 (lower than the national reported average of 2-5%).