Questions and Answers About AZT

Pregnancy and HIV

Questions and Answers About the AZT Study

How was AZT given to the women and babies in the study?

Did AZT cause problems for the women?

Did AZT cause problems for the babies?

What do these results mean for me?

Is there anything else I can do?

Other Studies That Are In Progress

How was AZT given to the women and babies in the study?

The women and babies in the 076 study took AZT in three stages:

During pregnancy: The women took one AZT pill five times each day.
During labor and delivery: The women were given AZT through an IV.
Right after birth: The babies were given AZT syrup four times a day for 6 weeks.

Did AZT cause problems for the women?

Taking AZT did not seem to make the women in this study any sicker than the women who did not take AZT. Studies are being done to see if the women have any long-term problems.

Did AZT cause problems for the babies?

AZT did not cause any serious problems for the babies in the 076 study.

AZT did not cause birth defects or cause babies to be born early.
Babies born to women who did and did not take AZT were about the same size.
Some of the AZT babies became anemic. The anemia went away soon after AZT was stopped.
Babies born to women in both groups have been followed to at least 1 year of age. Growth and development are about the same for all babies.
Studies are being done to see if AZT causes any long-term problems for the babies.

What do these results mean for me?

The results of the AZT study are very hopeful. But, we do not know if AZT will work the same for women and babies who are not like the women and babies in the study.

Is there anything else I can do?

Do not breast-feed your baby. HIV can pass to your baby through breast milk.
Your baby should be given a medicine when he or she is 4 to 6 weeks old to help prevent pneumonia.

Other Studies That Are In Progress

Studies are underway to see if other methods will lower the chances that HIV will pass from mothers to babies.
It is too soon to know if these methods will work.
To find out more about this research, call 1-800-TRIALS-A (1-800-874-2572).

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