HIV infection in pregnant women and its challenges for the prenatal care

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the epidemiological profile of HIV infections in pregnant women. Methods: Analytical study with a quantitative approach. Results: The HIV rate in pregnant women increased from 1.5/1000 babies born alive, in 2010, to 3.3/1000 in 2017. There was a significant association between the prenatal and the variables educational level (p<0.0001), occupation (p=0.0105), gestational age (p < 0.0001), and type of delivery (p < 0.0001). The mean rate of adherence to the antiretroviral treatment in the prenatal was 68.8% (DP = ± 3.7). Conclusion: The high rates of HIV detection in pregnant women suggest the need to intensify the health care to women during the prenatal, guaranteeing an integral care, early diagnoses, and enhancing the strategies to improve the adherence to the antiretroviral treatment, aiming to achieve the viral suppression of the mother by the time of childbirth, thus diminishing the risk of a vertical transmission.