Biktarvy and Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Birth Control

Is Biktarvy safe to take during pregnancy?

If you can become pregnant, it’s important to consider whether Biktarvy is a safe option for you.

Biktarvy may be safe to take during pregnancy in some people. Talk with your doctor if you have questions about taking Biktarvy during pregnancy.

Current guidelines recommend that pregnant people with HIV take antiretrovirals. These are drugs that treat HIV. The HIV.gov program has studied the risk of transmitting HIV to a fetus during pregnancy. The program reports that receiving HIV treatment early in pregnancy can reduce this risk to less than 1%.

If you have HIV and you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk with your doctor as soon as possible. It’s important to discuss the potential risks and benefits of antiretroviral treatments, such as Biktarvy. This information can help you decide about HIV treatment during your pregnancy.

Pregnancy registry

If you take Biktarvy during pregnancy, your doctor may encourage you to enroll in a pregnancy registry. The Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry is for people who take antiretroviral drugs, including Biktarvy, during pregnancy. The registry monitors and records the health of infants born to people who take antiretroviral drugs. This helps evaluate the drugs’ safety and can help people make informed decisions about antiretroviral treatments during pregnancy.

Learn more on the registry’s website or by calling 800-258-4263. Your doctor can also talk with you about enrolling.

Can I take Biktarvy while breastfeeding?

If you’re currently breastfeeding or planning to do so, it’s important to understand the effects that Biktarvy could have on you or your child.

It’s not known whether it’s safe to breastfeed while taking Biktarvy.

Emtricitabine is one of the active drugs in Biktarvy, and it can pass into breast milk. This drug could cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. Taking Biktarvy while breastfeeding could lead to viral resistance in a child who has HIV and is breastfed. Viral resistance means the virus develops small changes, and these changes make the virus less responsive (sensitive) to the HIV medication.

Biktarvy also has other active drugs, but it’s not known whether any pass into breast milk.

The CDC recommends that people living in the United States do not breastfeed if they have HIV. This is because the virus can pass into breast milk, which can then pass to the child who is breastfed. Having a viral load that’s undetectable on lab tests during Biktarvy treatment does not remove the risk. HIV could be passed to a breastfed child.

Talk with your doctor about the best way to feed your child if you have HIV.

Does Biktarvy affect birth control?

Biktarvy may be safe to take during pregnancy in some people. If you’re sexually active and you or your partner can become pregnant, it’s important to consider how Biktarvy could affect your birth control options.

Ask your doctor for more information about Biktarvy and birth control.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.