Recommendations Developed for People With HIV Wanting to Breastfeed
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 20, 2024 -- In an American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report published online May 20 in Pediatrics, recommendations are presented for breastfeeding among people living with and at risk for HIV.
Lisa Abuogi, M.D., from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, and colleagues examined feeding practices for infants born to people living with and at risk for HIV infection.
The authors note that care team members should be aware of the HIV transmission risk via breastfeeding and the recommendations for feeding infants with perinatal HIV exposure. The estimated risk for HIV transmission via breastfeeding is less than 1 percent from a parent with HIV who is receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) and is virally suppressed. The only infant feeding option with 0 percent risk for HIV transmission is avoidance of breastfeeding. However, people with HIV may want to breastfeed; a family-centered, nonjudgmental, harm reduction approach should be offered to people with HIV on ART with sustained viral suppression below 50 copies per mL who want to breastfeed. Recommendations against breastfeeding are advised for people with HIV who are not on ART or who are on ART but without viral suppression. HIV testing is recommended for all pregnant persons, and HIV preexposure prophylaxis is recommended to pregnant or breastfeeding persons at high risk for HIV acquisition.
"Pediatric health care professionals should be prepared to provide infant feeding counseling and a family-centered, culturally sensitive, harm reduction approach for people with HIV on ART with sustained viral suppression who desire to breastfeed," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2024
Read this next
Advanced Biological Age Linked to Increased Risk for Incident Dementia
FRIDAY, May 2, 2025 -- Advanced biological age (BA) may be a risk factor for incident dementia, according to a study published online April 30 in Neurology. Yacong Bo, Ph.D...
Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy Can Improve Outcomes
FRIDAY, May 2, 2025 -- For mothers with opioid use disorder (OUD), treatment with buprenorphine in pregnancy is associated with improved maternal and infant outcomes, according to...
Exposure to Smoke Pollution Ups Risk for Hospitalization for Respiratory Disease
FRIDAY, May 2, 2025 -- For older adults in the Western United States, exposure to high levels of smoke pollution is associated with an increase in hospitalizations for respiratory...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.