Pregnancy Rates and Outcomes of HIV-Infected Women in Korea

• Published in: Journal of Korean medical science Vol. 33; no. 47; pp. e296 - 7
• Main Authors: Choi, Heun, Kim, Moo Hyun, Lee, Se Ju, Kim, Eun Jin, Lee, Woonji, Jeong, Wooyong, Jung, In Young, Ahn, Jin Young, Jeong, Su Jin, Ku, Nam Su, Baek, Ji Hyeon, Choi, Young Hwa, Kim, Hyo Youl, Kim, June Myung, Choi, Jun Yong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences 19.11.2018; 대한의학회
• Subjects: Adult; Anti-HIV Agents - therapeutic use; Female; Follow-Up Studies; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - drug therapy; Humans; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - prevention & control; Live Birth; Original; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Rate; Republic of Korea; Retrospective Studies; Tertiary Care Centers; Young Adult; 의학일반; Republic of Korea; HIV; Mother-to-Child Transmission; Pregnancy Rate; Pregnancy Outcomes
• ISSN: 1011-8934; 1598-6357; 1598-6357
• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e296

Antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum preventive measures with antiretroviral drugs, appropriate delivery methods, and discouraging breastfeeding significantly decrease the risk of mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Herein, we investigated the pregnancy outcomes in HIV-infected Korean women. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of childbearing-age HIV-infected women between January 2005 and June 2017 at four tertiary care hospitals in Korea. Among a total of 95 HIV infected women of child-bearing age with 587.61 years of follow-up duration, 15 HIV-infected women experienced 21 pregnancies and delivered 16 infants. The pregnancy rate was 3.57 per 100 patient-years. Among the 21 pregnancies, five ended with an induced abortion, and 16 with childbirth including two preterm deliveries at 24 and 35 weeks of gestation, respectively. The two preterm infants had low birth weight and one of them died 10 days after delivery due to respiratory failure. Among the 14 full-term infants, one infant was small for gestational age. There were no HIV-infected infants. The pregnancy rate of HIV-infected women in Korea is lower than that of the general population. Although several adverse pregnancy outcomes were observed, mother-to-child transmission of HIV infection was successfully prevented with effective preventive measures.