Survey of attitudes to testing for human immunodeficiency virus infection in antenatal clinics in West Glamorgan.

A total of 1023 women attending hospital antenatal clinics in West Glamorgan was surveyed by means of a self-administered questionnaire, to determine their attitudes to HIV testing in pregnancy. The response rate was 98%. Of the responders, 94% had no objection to their antenatal blood specimen being tested for HIV infection. Of the non-objectors, 55% wished their permission to be asked first, and 92% wished to be informed of the result, i.e. they wished for named testing. With regard to knowledge of other tests for infectious diseases performed on antenatal blood specimens, only 1.5% had totally correct knowledge, and only one in three knew that their blood was tested for syphilis. The implications of anonymous and named HIV testing are discussed, together with estimates of prevalence of HIV infection in women attending antenatal clinics, the rate of vertical transmission, and the prognosis for an infected baby.