Question
Does my partner need to use a condom if I am on efavirenz and want to become pregnant?
15 November 2010. Related: All topics, HIV transmission, Pregnancy.
I am HIV-positive and on Truvada and efavienz. Two months ago my CD4 was 550 but when I started it was in June 2008 it was much lower. My boyfriend is HIV-neg but he has high blood pressure.
Is it ok if i plan to have a baby? We have sex without a condom because he says he is circumusised. We did both tests and he is still negative.
Plz help me.
Answer
Hi
I will answer each question separately.
Your CD4 count is doing very well, so treatment seems like it is working for you.
Efavirenz is not generally recommended when planing to become pregnant. Please speak to your doctor in case there are alternative treatments you can use for a short period. This question deals with this in more detail and this page of the i-Base guide to pregnancy.
If your viral load is undetectable, this is the most important factor in protecting your boyfriend from catching HIV.
Although circumcision reduces the risk by about 60%, it does not provide long-term protection.
If your viral load is undetectable, you could have sex without using a condom to become pregnant, but it would be safest for him to use a condom afterwards for the future.
See this section of the i-Base guide to Pregnancy and Women’s Health. The sections after this include more detailed discussion on the risk for your partner.
If he has not caught HIV so far, a lot of this is down to good luck. If you are planning a family, if he became HIV-positive in the future it would only add complications to all your lives.
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