WHO recommendation: Elective C-section should not be routinely recommended to women living with HIV

Overview

While developing the Consolidated guideline on sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV, published in 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) compared the evidence base on elective C-section versus other modes of delivery for women living with HIV. When only including women on highly effective combination ART regimens or those who showed evidence of viral suppression when delivering their babies at term, the results no longer showed a difference between modes of delivery in infant HIV infection.

The 2017 guideline provides women living with HIV and health-care providers with the most up-to-date information to support informed decision-making regarding the risks and benefits of an elective C-section