HIV Testing and Prevalence in Pregnancy in Edinburgh

Abstract

The objective was to study the changes in pregnancy HIV prevalence with time. Data were collected from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive record of all HIV seropositive pregnant women identified in the Edinburgh area (Scotland) until December 1992.

There were 177 pregnancies in 108 HIV seropositive identified women. Risk factors were injection drug use (79% of pregnancies) and a known HIV seropositive injection drug-using partner (16%). Prevalence has decreased for Edinburgh City women from 0.5% of all pregnancies in 1986 to 0.1% in 1992; It was higher for induced abortion (0.6%) than for delivery (0.2%). HIV testing in pregnancy has declined. Comparison with unlinked anonymized testing showed that in 1990–1991, 20/22 seropositive women were known. In 1992, only 3 of 10 seropositive pregnancies were identified. The cohort initially infected by exposure to a ‘drug related’ risk factor between 1983 and 1985 may have increasingly finished childbearing, deliberately decided against pregnancy because of HIV status, and declined because of death, illness and emigration from the area, There may not have been major early tertiary heterosexual spread; however, data from 1992 suggest that this could now be impacting on pregnancy prevalence. Local testing policies have not adapted to this possible change.