Discontinuing combination antiretroviral therapy during the first trimester of pregnancy: Insights from plasma human immunodeficiency virus-1 RNA viral load and CD4 cell count

OBJECTIVE: Options for human immunodeficiency virus-1–infected women who are already receiving antiretroviral medications when they become pregnant include the continuation or discontinuation of the therapy during the first trimester. These two strategies are compared in terms of plasma human immunodeficiency virus viral load and CD4 cell count. STUDY DESIGN: Seventy women who attended the II Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology were identified. Four different periods for laboratory evaluations were decided: presuspension, suspension, second trimester, and third trimester. RESULTS: Thirty-two women (46%) discontinued antiretroviral therapy; 38 women (54%) did not. Whereas plasma HIV virus viral load and CD4 cell count did not significantly vary during pregnancy in patients who did not interrupt the therapy, these two variables were influenced significantly by the discontinuation of treatment (P<.001 for both). Human immunodeficiency virus viral load increased during the suspension period and regressed promptly to basal levels as soon as the therapy was reintroduced. A transitory decrease in CD4 cell count was also documented, but the recovery tended to be slower. CONCLUSION: The suspension of combination antiretroviral therapy during the first trimester of pregnancy transiently corresponds to an increase in human immunodeficiency virus viral load and a decline of CD4 cell count.