HIV women may cut AIDS risk via pregnancy

NASHVILLE, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers found pregnancy may help a woman with HIV lower her risk of progressing to AIDS and death.

The study, published online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, suggests women may benefit from pregnancy while taking combination HIV drug therapy known as highly active anti-retroviral therapy, or HAART drug "cocktails."

The study included 759 women treated from 1997-2004 at Nashville's Comprehensive Care Center. More than 500 of the women received HAART, including 110 of the 130 women who had at least one pregnancy during the study period.

After using statistical modeling methods to adjust for differences between women, including their age, health and response to therapy, the study's senior author, Dr. Timothy Sterling, of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, concluded the pregnant women did better.

However, Sterling cautions, more study is needed, because pregnant women may be more likely to adhere to their therapy out of concern for the fetus.

The pregnant women also have more frequent visits with their physician, case managers and nutritional counselors.

"Perhaps efforts should be made to do that for everyone, pregnant or not, female or male,"

Sterling said.