HIV testing in pregnancy

[mrswoolfie]

Is it compulsory to do an HIV test?
A friend of mine got one from an online company which provides self tests so she knew for sure before her hospital blood tests. She was really worried as she hadn't been as careful as she should have been in the past, but never thought about HIV until she went to the hospital for her booking in appointment.
Now I'm worried........

Not having one won't change whether you have it or not.

What it will do is make sure the doctors and other healthcare professionals area aware so that they can get the best outcome for you and your baby. Why would you risk your baby's health?

I had to give consent but I honestly don't know why you wouldn't have it done it's just a simple blood test and the result of the test is vital for you and for your baby to arrive safely

Why on earth wouldn't you have the test?

you can opt out of it if you want BUT I do agree with the other posters why would you not have it?

Of course you can withhold consent and not have it done.

I don't understand why anybody would though?

It's better to know IMHO. In the unlikely event that you are positive, you can get very good treatments and give your baby the best possible chance of being born free of the disease.

All pregnant mothers get tested but you only gt results if you consent. It's a large scale epidemiological study.

However HIV is now an extremely treatable disease if you know you have it before it progresses to AIDS. In untreated women up to 30% of babies get HIV from vertical transmission. With treatment mums have a near normal life expectancy and steps are taken to prevent transmission to baby.

Staff will use universal precautions anyway so when not consenting you only potentially harm yourself and baby if positive.

Thanks Ladies I do agree and won't decline I spoke to my friend last night and I think I'm going to get a self test to do at home first. I'd rather know immediately and hopefully feel happy and confident with all my antenatal appointments, rather than wait for days to get the result.
She said its like a pregnancy test but with a drop of blood.
This pregnancy has been such a long time coming I want as stress free time as poss