Recognizing Black HIV/AIDS Awareness – Black Women for Wellness

In honor of this day, our Maternal and Infant Health team is highlighting how HIV disproportionately affects Black women and birthing people, who often face unique and compounding challenges during pregnancy and motherhood.

Did you know? Black women and birthing people are disproportionately impacted by HIV:

• 56% of women living with HIV in the U.S. are Black women
• 50% of new HIV diagnoses among women are in Black women
• HIV diagnosis rates for Black women are ~10× higher than White women
• Perinatal HIV rates are highest among Black birthing people

These disparities mean that Black mothers and birthing people living with HIV often face higher risks and additional barriers to care. Access to consistent, high-quality treatment and supportive resources is essential to achieving healthy outcomes.

Healthcare disparities significantly affect care experiences. Many Black women face limited access to culturally responsive providers and supportive services. Consistent medication management can also be challenging, particularly when cost, transportation, or insurance issues interfere with access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Additionally, the mental and emotional toll of living with HIV—including stigma, fear, and social isolation—can further complicate engagement in care.

Infant feeding decisions can create added stress when cultural expectations conflict with medical guidance, highlighting the need for sensitive, informed counseling. These challenges are further intensified by structural inequities such as poverty, housing instability, and systemic racism, which collectively increase barriers to receiving consistent, high-quality care.

With the right support and resources, these challenges are manageable—but they deserve acknowledgment, action, and ongoing community advocacy.

How HIV Can Impact a Black Mother or Birthing Person

HIV does not define pregnancy or parenthood. With access to consistent, high-quality care and HIV treatment, Black mothers and birthing people living with HIV can experience healthy pregnancies and give birth to healthy babies. While living with HIV may require additional planning and coordination during pregnancy and the postpartum period, these experiences are manageable with the right medical care, resources, and community support. Prenatal care often involves coordinating HIV treatment alongside routine pregnancy care, while medication management plays a critical role in protecting both the parent and baby. Decisions around infant feeding may require thoughtful discussion with healthcare providers, and attention to mental and emotional health is essential as individuals navigate stigma, stress, or fear. Ensuring access to affordable, respectful, and culturally responsive healthcare remains central to positive outcomes.

HIV, Pregnancy, and Treatment

With today’s medical advances, many people living with HIV take just one pill a day to manage the virus. HIV medication—also known as antiretroviral therapy (ART)—is safe to take during pregnancy and plays a powerful role in keeping both the parent and baby healthy. When taken consistently, ART lowers the amount of HIV in the body to very low levels, helping people live long, healthy lives and dramatically reducing the risk of passing HIV to a baby during pregnancy, labor, or delivery.

Women living with HIV can and do give birth to HIV-negative babies.

Breastfeeding and Chestfeeding with HIV 

HIV can be passed through breast milk, but with consistent HIV treatment (ART) and an undetectable viral load, the risk of transmission is very low — less than 1%. Using formula or pasteurized donor milk is another safe option that eliminates the risk entirely. Feeding decisions are personal and valid, and should be made with guidance from your healthcare provider.

Supporting parents in making these choices is critical, especially for Black women and birthing people who often face additional barriers like stigma, limited access to culturally responsive care, and structural inequities. Whatever feeding option you choose, the goal is a healthy baby and a supported parent.

Resources for Black Women & Birthing People Living with HIV

Many local and national organizations and programs are actively working to support Black women and birthing people living with HIV by providing care, education, advocacy, and essential services. These efforts help ensure that care is accessible, affordable, culturally responsive, and stigma-free. 

Local HIV and Sexual Health Services (Los Angeles):

• STD Free Los Angeles – Reproductive and sexual health care
• AHF Wellness Centers (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) – HIV testing, treatment referrals, and prevention services
• Los Angeles County Commission on HIV – County-wide rapid HIV testing and treatment support programs
• Saban Community Clinic (Beverly location) – HIV prevention and treatment services
• Planned Parenthood Health Centers – HIV testing, counseling, and linkage to care (Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw, Koreatown, West Hollywood, and Hollywood locations)

National Organizations and Programs:

• The Well Project – Provides education, advocacy, and community support specifically for women living with HIV
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Leads national HIV research, surveillance, and prevention efforts.
• NIH / HIVinfo – Offers evidence-based information on HIV, pregnancy, and treatment.
• Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program – Provides free or low-cost HIV care, medications, and support services
• AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) – Helps cover the cost of HIV medications
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services- Details the coverage options for consumers with HIV/AIDS
• HIV.gov