can i have vaginal birth evev after c-section

[Dimple2011]

Good day ladies

I am 40 i live in South Africa and also around 5 weeks pregnant and undetectable  and on atripla i was wondering if it is possible to have a vaginal birth after i had c- section in 2011 because with my first child  the Dr recommended c-section

Any advice on this matter will be highly appreciated

[BT65]

Hi Dimple, I don't know why you had to have a c-section with your first birth unless it was because of the HIV.  However, yes, it is possible.  When I did case management for people with HIV/AIDSI I had two clients who had vaginal births and their babies are fine.  Of course they stayed on treatment the whole time, which actually brings me to another question.  I'm not up on the current standards for pregnant women with HIV, but are you supposed to be on Atripla during pregnancy?  As I said, I am not a doctor nor am I in the know about the current medication standards, but I would double check with the doctor. 

So the answer is yes, as long as your doctor okay's it and there's nothing else going on I don't see why you shouldn't be able to have a vaginal birth.  I don't know your circumstance but as long as you work closely with your doctor, I wouldn't give up that hope.

Betty

[Dimple2011]

Hi BT65

Thanks for your reply

The reason why i had c-section previously was because i started taking medication on the 20th week of my pregnancy which was my doctor's recommendation, before i was not on any medication and my son is negative to date

About whether Atripla is good for use during pregnancy i have researched a lot about that and all the information i have found thus far says there is nothing wrong with atripla use during pregnancy, and Atripla contains the drugs efavirenz, FTC and tenofovir.  It is a combination that is now used by many HIV positive pregnant women worldwide. In the past, women wishing to conceive were advised not to use efavirenz. Or to switch if they found out they were pregnant whilst taking it.
However, over the past few years, this advice has now changed. Women considering or diagnosed during pregnancy can use efavirenz. This is recommended by  WHO (World Health Organisation) . There are many reports of women throughout the world who have continued taking efavirenz during pregnancy.
Sometimes the information that comes with our meds has not been updated for bureaucratic reasons. This is not ideal as it can be confusing for people reading about their meds. In this case, the guidelines recommending use of efavirenz drug in pregnancy are correct

I know you said you are not a doctor but this is information i have about the drug iam taking and not only from one source but many different sources.

Regards

Dimple

[BT65]

Thanks Dimple, for clarifying.  I haven't had any pregnant clients for a long time so I was not aware. But now I know, thanks for that!  Good luck and welcome to our lady's family!

Betty