Increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and treatment monitoring for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV is a priority for promoting health during the pregnancy and post-partum periods, and to minimize the risk of vertical transmission of HIV to infants. Point-of-care viral load (POC VL), which allows testing to be conducted at or near the point of patient care, has the potential to increase access to VL testing, reduce result turnaround time and increase result return rates for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Available in both French and English, this issue brief lays out the rationale for how POC VL testing could be a transformative technology in the strategy to end vertical transmission.