HIV positive women are much more likely to suffer from anaemia and high blood pressure in pregnancy and deliver babies with lower birth weights and retarded growth, according to research in the latest UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing.
A team from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa compared 212 HIV positive mothers-to-be with 101 women who had tested negative.
"Latest statistics suggest that more than a quarter of pregnant women in South Africa are HIV positive and that global rates are continuing to rise" says lead researcher Dr Candice Bodkin.
"It has already been established that HIV and AIDS can exaggerate some of the problems normally experienced in pregnancy. But we believe that this is the first study to link being HIV positive and pregnant with higher levels of anaemia and raised blood pressure."
The researchers identified a number of key health issues facing HIV positive pregnant women, including: