Aconselhamento em DST/Aids às gestantes que realizaram o teste anti-HIV na admiss？o para o parto: os sentidos de uma prática

the practices and meanings of counseling for pregnant women who underwent hiv testing on admission for delivery, and for healthcare professionals working in childbirth care in salvador, brazil, were analyzed. a qualitative study was conducted in a maternity hospital using participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 13 puerperae with no previous diagnosis of hiv and with seven healthcare professionals. it was observed that the anti-hiv test was done compulsorily, without taking into account the pregnant woman's autonomy. the counseling was limited to informing the diagnosis and giving guidance after the test, only to the hiv-positive women. the meanings that permeated the test and the comprehension of the experience and meanings constructed by the women, especially when they were discovered to be hiv-positive, were not addressed by the professionals, who did not feel qualified to deal with the patients' subjectivity.