Labor and Delivery Rapid HIV Test Counseling

1. Labor and Delivery Rapid HIV Test Counseling

2. Important Information about Pregnancy and HIV Every pregnant women should know if she has HIV because she can pass HIV to her baby during . . . pregnancy . . . childbirth . . . or breastfeeding

3. Illinois Has an Important New Law . . . • The Illinois Perinatal HIV Prevention Act requires that all pregnant women in Illinois will be counseled and offered an HIV test. • Since there is no HIV result in your medical record, the law states that we must offer you a rapid HIV test. • If we do not know your HIV result when your baby is born, your baby will be tested unless you decline in writing.

4. Benefits of Doing a Rapid HIV Test • The sooner we know your test result, the sooner we can give you medicine to protect your baby if it’s needed. • The earlier medicine is started, the better it works to prevent HIV transmission.

5. 1 in 4 chance without HIV medicine Less than1 in 8 chance with HIV medicine for the mother and baby Risk of Transmitting HIV to a Newborn 1 in 8 chance with HIV medicine during labor and to the newborn

6. Rapid HIV Testing Procedures • To do the rapid HIV test we need a small blood sample. • You will be given the result as soon as possible. • Your test result will be kept in your confidential medical record.

7. Understanding Rapid HIV Test Results • The rapid screening test is very reliable, but it is not perfect. • A negative test result means that there is no sign of HIV infection at this time. • A positive test, however, is considered a preliminary result • another test will need to be done to confirm the result before we can know for sure if it is correct. • just to be safe, we will give you medicine to reduce the chance of passing HIV to your baby. • and after delivery, we will also give your baby medicine to protect against HIV infection.

8. Consent Form Consent for Rapid HIV Testing • HIV testing is completely voluntary, so we need you to sign a consent form before we run the test. • However, if you do not have an HIV test before the delivery, your baby will be tested for HIV unless you decline the test in writing. • Let’s read through the form together and ask me any questions you have before you sign it.

9. Your Rapid HIV Test was Negative • Your HIV test came back negative, which means there is no sign of HIV infection at this time. • Do you have any questions for me?

10. For the Future . . . • Would you like some information about how to prevent HIV and other STD’s? • Prenatal visits are an important part of staying healthy in pregnancy and helping you have a healthy baby.

11. Your Rapid HIV Test was Preliminarily Positive • Your HIV test was preliminarily positive, which means you could have HIV infection. • Remember, this is a screening test. We need to send your blood to the lab for a confirmatory test before we know for sure if this preliminary result is correct. • It will take a few days to get those results back. It is very important for you to return for care and get these results.

12. Starting Medicine to Protect Your Baby • Right now we want to make sure that you and your baby are as safe and healthy as possible. • We would like to give you some medicine to help protect your baby from HIV. • The sooner we start the medicine, the better it works to prevent transmission.

13. Until We Have Your Confirmatory Test Result • We recommend that you do not breastfeed unless the confirmatory test result comes back negative. • You and your baby will be given HIV medicine until the confirmatory test result is back. If that test is negative, you do not have HIV, but you will have taken HIV medicine for a few days. • No serious side effects have been seen in people who have taken the medicines for a short time.

14. Coping with a Preliminary Test Result • People often feel scared and overwhelmed when they hear this news. • Can you tell me what you are feeling right now? • What questions or concerns do you have?