I wrote that abrupt weaning would increase the risk of transmission of hiv if the studies are to be believed. But I really didn't explain what I meant by this. Of course, if one is abruptly weaning the infant, the infant will no longer be receiving its mother's milk. What I do believe is that some mothers might because of discomfort of overly full breasts and a very unhappy baby be tempted to just feed them anyway. It would be a factor that one may not be able to control. I don't think researchers or many health care providers understand the ramifications of asking a mother to abruptly wean and the difficulties encountered by a mother to follow such requests. Abrupt weaning will always be a risk for the health and well-being of mothers and infants. Mothers risk mastitis, abcesses, depression, return of menses with subsequent loss of iron, breast cancer, etc. Babies are at risk for all kinds of illnesses because they have lost the protective benefits of breastmilk. I think it is even more risky for the "supposedly" hiv-positive mom and her infant to have lost this immune-boosting relationship.(not only the physical properties of the milk itself but the physical contact-the touch--that boosts immunity) Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html