An observational study of initial HIV RNA decay following initiation of combination antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy.

Background: In pregnancy, reduction of HIV plasma viral load (pVL) for the prevention of vertical transmission is time-constrained. The study primary objective is to investigate factors associated with faster initial HIV RNA half-life decay when combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) is initiated in pregnancy.

Methods: This was a multicentre, retrospective, observational study, conducted in south England, United Kingdom, between August 2001 and February 2018.