Q and A

Question

Can an HIV positive man still have children?

Can an HIV positive man still have children? If so, what is the risk to mother and child?

Answer

Thanks for your question which is very easy to answer.

The simple answer is a definite “yes” as being on modern HIV treatment also protects your partner.

As long as viral load is undetectable, the risk of transmission becomes zero. This means that your partner will not be at risk and the baby will be negative too.

The risk of a baby having HIV is only directly related to the HIV status of the mother, not the father.

So if your partner is also HIV positive, this is how you can have an HIV negative baby.

The i-Base guide to HIV, Pregnancy and Women’s Health includes a chapter on planning pregnancies and is available online or in print.

Note: This answer was last updated in January 2018 from an original post from March 2007.

194 comments

  1. Simon Collins

    Hi Blanco, so long are you are on effective HIV treatment, this is easy – see:
    http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy/what-to-do-when-one-partner-is-hiv-positive-and-the-other-is-hiv-negative

  2. Blanco

    I am hiv positive and my wife is negative..can we still babies without infecting my partner

  3. Simon Collins

    Hi Johnson, the HIV status is almost entirely related to whether the mother is positive, and then whether she is on treatment. If neither person is HIV positive there is no virus for the baby to catch. For your second question, modern HIV drugs mean life expectancy is getting close to an HIV negative person.

  4. Johnson

    If two HIV negative couples have a child is it possible the child will be HIV positive? Also, if one tests HIV positive and is on ART how long can the person live?

  5. Maria

    My husband is HIV positive and I am HIV negative. We have Three children who are negative. My husband has lived positive for more than twenty years. My first born is 6 yrs old, and he has twin sisters of one year old.

  6. Simon Collins

    Hi Zomba – thanks – reading and keeping up to date is good for your health. Perhaps contact HIV organisations close to where you live to see if you can help.

  7. Zomba

    I ve found the information on your website valuable. I am intrested in getting more information and possibly getting involed in works that you are doing.

  8. Roy Trevelion

    Having an HIV positive father will not affect whether the baby is born HIV positive.

    But making sure that the father’s viral load is undetectable can protect the mother from HIV. You can find out more about this here.

    It’s important to talk to your doctor about having a baby. The i-Base guide to HIV, pregnancy and women’s health is just as important for HIV positive fathers. You can find the guide here:
    http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy

  9. Daniel

    Thanks for the advice on pregnancy. I need to understand best how an HIV positive male on ARVs can have a baby with an HIV negative female. And have a baby who’s HIV negative.

  10. Roy Trevelion

    Yes, you can have a healthy HIV negative baby. Talk to your partner’s doctor and clinic about becoming pregnant. It’s important to protect your health as well as your baby’s health.

    You can find out more about becoming pregnant when one partner is HIV positive and the other is HIV negative here:
    http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy/what-to-do-when-one-partner-is-hiv-positive-and-the-other-is-hiv-negative

Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *