Current international guidelines recognise that if a pregnant woman LWHIV has an undetectable HIV VL, vaginal delivery does not increase the risk of HIV transmission to the infant (6).  

Maintaining engagement in care is an important role of nursing and midwifery staff to ensure monitoring of women’s VL throughout pregnancy, which will ultimately inform the mode of delivery and duration of Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) for the infant (6). Risk assessment for and PEP for infants is outlined in the British HIV Association (BHIVA) guidelines for the management of HIV in pregnancy and postpartum 2018 (6).    

For those women who are overseas-born or from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds (CALD), navigating the Australian healthcare system may require enhanced support and education (11).