This past year, NNEPQIN held several meetings regarding the issue if HIV testing in pregnancy.

HIV is transmitted to newborns at the time of delivery and through breast feeding. Optimal treatment during pregnancy, delivery and infancy reduced the risk of a child acquiring HIV from 25% to less than 2%. Optimal treatment is contingent upon prenatal screening for HIV. Currently, 40% of children who acquire HIV are born to women who did not undergo screening in pregnancy.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines, which were endorsed by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, recommending routine screening for HIV during pregnancy with “opt out” consent. This means, all women are told of the HIV testing, but they do not need to sign consent for testing. Instead, a woman signs a consent form when they refuse testing. Opt out consenting has proven in multiple studies to be the most effective means of screening pregnant women and preventing transmission to their children.

Current law in NH and VT makes "opt out" testing difficult. NNEPQIN recognizes the importance of "opt out" testing. However, until there is legal change, either provider or patient consent is required in most practices.

Listed below are documents prepared in a collaborative effort by NNEPQIN. They represent our collective interpretation of the current scientific evidence and published guidelines. We hope that they will be used to assist in HIV testing and to bring forth legislative change. We anticipate that these documents will be modified by institutions to reflect their local processes and standards of care. Each institution is responsible for validating these documents and any modifications.

View the new CDC perinatal HIV testing site.