Amanda Mammadova, who is HIV positive,
is pregnant with her second child after she and her husband Ali chose
to try and conceive naturally, having done so with their daughter
SaabriaA mother with HIV is pregnant with her second baby since diagnosis – despite the risk of passing the virus to her child or husband.
Amanda
Mammadova said ‘it wouldn’t be the end of the world’ if her baby is
born with the illness, adding: ‘Having HIV wouldn’t affect my child’s
life.’
The
34-year-old personal trainer was diagnosed with the virus in 2010 –
just three months after meeting her husband, Turkish native Ali, 29. She
contracted the virus from an ex-partner who unknowingly had the
disease, and although she feared her new boyfriend would call off their
relationship, he vowed to support her. They married eight months later.
Mrs
Mammadova, from Milton Keynes, already has a 14-year-old daughter from a
previous relationship but her husband agreed to risk getting HIV so
they could have a baby together.
The
couple naturally conceived their now 21-month-old daughter, Saabria,
who was born HIV-free. Despite having unprotected sex, her husband did
not contract the virus either.
They decided to try for a second baby – and are now expecting their new arrival in June.
If
an HIV-positive mother takes the appropriate anti-viral drugs during
pregnancy and labour and does not breast-feed, the risk of transmitting
the virus to her child is around 1 per cent.
Mrs
Mammadova 's viral load - the amount of HIV in her blood - is low,
meaning the risk of transmission during sex is low. The couple's
daughter Saabria was born HIV negative and Mr Mammadova has regular
tests
Mr Mammadova is waiting for a test to
establish if he has contracted the virus while the couple were trying
for their second child, who is due in June
And
for Mrs Mammadova, this risk is further reduced given that she is an
‘elite controller’ – meaning her immune system is ultra-effective at
controlling the virus. Such patients are said to have a very low risk of
passing on HIV to partners during sex or during pregnancy to an unborn
child.
Both
mother and baby will also be given a course of anti-HIV treatment upon
birth, which will help reduce the risks of transmission. But Mrs
Mammadova admitted that there is still a chance the virus could be
passed on to her husband or child.
If
either were to contract the virus, they would have virtually the same
life-expectancy as someone without it – but they would have to spend the
rest of their lives on daily medication, with regular GP check-ups.
If
their immune system is badly compromised – through developing another
illness, for example – it could develop into AIDS, the later stage of
the illness, where life expectancy is on average three years.
Mrs
Mammadova said that while she would rather her child was born without
the virus, she added: ‘I wouldn’t be devastated if my child had HIV. It
isn’t a death sentence any more. It wouldn’t hold them back and they
would go on to achieve everything they wanted.
When Mrs Mammadova is 20 weeks'
pregnant she will begin to take anti-retroviral drugs to reduce the risk
of transmitting the virus to her unborn baby. The drugs reduce the risk
to less than 0.5 per cent, experts say
Mrs
Mammadova said she tried to persuade her husband to opt for insemination
but he refused and was adamant he wanted them to conceive naturally
like a normal couple despite the low risk of transmission
‘It
hasn’t ruined my life – in fact, it has got better since my diagnosis.
Having HIV isn’t the end of the world, it’s something that you live
with. It doesn’t define who you are.’
Mrs
Mammadova said her husband is tested for HIV every six months. ‘Ali has
always supported me and is willing to get HIV in order for us to be a
normal couple,’ she added.
‘He reassured me he wasn’t bothered whether he contracted HIV or not as I was his wife ... he wanted us to conceive naturally.
‘I had always wanted a family but when I was first diagnosed I thought my chances had been destroyed.
‘I also have an older daughter and I was worried I wouldn’t see her grow up but doctors … gave me hope for the future.
‘I want other people to understand the importance of getting checked. Diagnosing HIV in the early stages saves lives.
‘I hope my story shows people that the disease doesn’t need to hold you back.’
Daisy
Ellis, acting policy director at the Terrence Higgins Trust, an HIV
awareness charity, said: ‘The strength of our antenatal screening
programme means the UK has one of the lowest rates of mother-to-child
HIV transmission in the world.
‘If a woman with HIV wants to start a family, the NHS will take every measure possible to stop the virus being passed on.’
THOSE INFECTED WITH HIV IN UK AT ALL-TIME HIGH BUT TREATMENT MEANS SUFFERERS CAN EXPECT TO LIVE NORMAL LIVES
HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune system - the body's defence against diseases.
Figures published this week revealed the number of people infected with the virus in the UK has reach an all-time high.
Nearly 110,000 are living with the condition, but around a quarter are unaware they have it.
Recent
research has found that between 70 and 90 per cent of people may
experience symptoms of infection a few days after they have been
infected.
A fever, rash and severe sore throat should always be considered a potential indicator of HIV.
The symptoms usually disappear within two to three weeks.
A person described as living with HIV means they have HIV in their body.
New figures published this week
revealed the number of people infected with HIV, pictured under the
microscope in purple and green, in the UK has reached an all-time high,
with 111,000 living with the condition, but around a quarter unaware
they have it
A
person is considered to have developed AIDS when the immune system is
so weak it can no longer fight off a range of diseases, which it would
normally cope with.
There is currently no cure for HIV. But those with the virus receiving treatment can live a healthy, active life.
If the virus is diagnosed late, treatment may be less effective in preventing AIDs.
Those who are diagnosed early and respond to treatment can be healthy, work, and have relationships like anyone else.
HIV treatment was transformed in 1996 with the introduction of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART).
It
means a person diagnosed in time and who adheres to their medication
can, in the vast majority of cases, manage their health condition and
look forward to a near normal life expectancy.
ART can cause some side-effects including fatigue, depression and diarrhoea, though they are increasingly well-managed.
How is HIV passed on?
The virus can be passed on through infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids or breast milk.
HIV is most commonly passed on during:
- sex without a condom with someone living with HIV
- sharing infected needles, syringes and other injecting drug equipment
- from an HIV-positive mother (to her child) during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding - if the right steps to prevent infection are not taken
Can women living with HIV still have a baby?
HIV
can be passed from mother to child, but there are steps that can be
taken to reduce the possibility of the child contracting HIV to less
than one per cent.
They
include the mother taking anti-retroviral drugs while pregnant,
delivering the baby via Caesarean section and not breastfeeding the
baby.
Source: National Aids Trust
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