OBJECTIVES: identify HIV infected pregnant women in a referral center and investigate characteristics related to infection and parity. METHODS: a cross-sectional study comprising all HIV infected women treated at the High Risk Prenatal Care in the Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, in 2004. Demographic data, HIV epidemiology infection and obstetrical history were collected. For statistical analysis SPSS 12.0 was used. RESULTS: eighty five women median aged 29.1 and 90 pregnancies were followed-up. In 55 pregnancies (61.1%) women had prior information of the infection. Sixty four (71.1%) informed they lived together. Probably they all acquired HIV in heterosexual relations. Fifty four (60%) were diagnosed during one of the pregnancies. The global pregnancies median was 3.5, and 1.71 following diagnosis. Patients with prior diagnosis had a higher pregnancy median as compared to those who were diagnosed during their pregnancies (p = 0.002). Eighty six pregnant women made use of anti-retroviral medication, 56.7% through therapeutic indication. No vertical transmission cases were determined. CONCLUSIONS: new pregnancies in HIV infected women are not rare notwithstanding contraceptive resources offered. Therefore, further investigations are necessary to identify what difficulties not previously approached they have during routine medical assistance.
Pregnancy; Parity; Women; Diagnosis; HIV
