U.S. Public Health Service recommendations for human immunodeficiency virus counseling and voluntary testing for pregnant women.

These recommendations were developed by the U.S. Public Health Service to address the increasing epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among women and their infants. The recommendations stress the importance of early diagnosis of HIV infection for the health of both women and their infants and are based on advances made in HIV-related treatment and prevention. The most significant advance for this population has been the results from a placebo-controlled, clinical trial that indicated that administration of zidovudine to HIV-infected pregnant women and their newborns reduced the risk for perinatal transmission of HIV by approximately two thirds (1). This document recommends routine HIV counseling and voluntary testing for all pregnant women and is intended to serve as guidance for health-care providers in educating women about the importance of knowing their HIV infection status. For uninfected women, such HIV counseling and testing programs can provide information that can reduce their risk for acquiring HIV; for women who have HIV infection, these programs can enable them to receive appropriate and timely medical interventions for their own health and for reducing the risk for perinatal (i.e., mother to infant) and other modes of HIV transmission. These programs also can facilitate appropriate follow-up care and services for HIV-infected women, their infants, and other family members.