In 2008, California Assembly Bill 682 mandated routine “opt-out” human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing during prenatal care. This study assessed the prenatal HIV testing experiences of postpartum women in a Fresno County birthing hospital. The convenience sample consisted of 183 postpartum mothers awaiting discharge from the largest birthing hospital in Fresno County. Secondary data consisted of responses to a 24-item self-administered questionnaire. Survey questions asked recall of prenatal care, including: did a woman receive HIV test counseling, was she offered HIV testing, did she accept or refuse testing and the reasons why.

The findings indicated the primary reason participants agreed to prenatal HIV testing was for the health of their baby. HIV test counseling was significantly associated with agreeing to HIV testing. A woman who received prenatal HIV test counseling was 14 times more likely to agree to prenatal HIV testing than a woman who did not receive counseling.