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. Lisa Thorley
  2. ANDRIES

    I’m on meds, can I have a child?

  3. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Mahesh,

    Please see the above post and Q6 here:

    https://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions

  4. Mahesh

    Can I have baby? I’m positive, whilst my partner is negative?

  5. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Lilly,

    The menopause is our bodies way of saying our fertility days are over. However, there is still the possibility that you may be able to have a child. You will though need to see a fertility specialist about this.

  6. Lilly

    I am 48 my fiance is45yrs old I’m hiv positive & he is hiv negative.we want to conceive, but have menopouse. Can the menopouse be reversed for me to be able to conceive?

  7. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Godwin,

    Yes you can have children. And yes you can try to conceive naturally if you choose too. This is because when someone is undetectable, the risk of transmission is close to zero. For more info, please see here:

    https://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions

  8. Godwin

    I’m undetectable and am always on my meds. My partner is negative, can we have a baby without transmitting?

  9. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Jerome,

    The above post gives a very detailed answer to this quesiton, with the basic answer being yes. You can either do what has been suggested with regards to sperm washing, though this is no longer common, at least not in the UK. Use self insemination, or conceive the natural way through sexual intercourse.

    An important thing to know is that if a man is on effective treatment and their viral load is undetectable, the risk of transmission is close to zero. As the results of the PARTNER study show:

    https://i-base.info/qa-on-the-partner-study/

    How you conceive is a decision that should be taken between both prospective parents.

  10. jerome

    Can an HIV positive male have children with a negative female?

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