Question
Can my wife use PEP to conceive?
5 July 2012. Related: All topics, PEP/PEPSE, Pregnancy, Sero different couples.
My wife is HIV negative and I am HIV positive. We want to have a baby.
My question is, can we have unprotected sex and use the emergency drug that she gets from the hospital when the condom breaks?
Answer
The emergency drug you refer to is also known as PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis). PEP is the term for using HIV drugs after a potential exposure to reduce the risk of HIV infection.
It is important for you and your wife to speak to your doctor if you plan to conceive naturally. Although this is possible, it depends on a number of factors. These include whether you are taking ARVs (antiretroviral treatment for HIV); and whether you have an undetectable viral load. Viral load refers to the amount of virus. Undetectable viral load means there is very little virus. Therefore the risk of you passing HIV onto your wife is dramatically reduced.
Please follow this link to our guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health. It lists in more detail conditions that need to be present if you are planning to conceive naturally. The guide also has information on conception options available for a couple like you.
Sero-different couples (where one is positive and the other is not) trying to conceive naturally are sometimes advised to use PEP. However, this is only as an additional precaution. And it should be done in consultation with your doctor.
Good luck with your future plans.
Hi Austin,
PEP offers no protection against pregnancy. Please speak to a pharmacist or your doctor straight away if you are worried about the risk of pregnancy. You can ask them for emergency contraception.
Please see this link for more info on PEP:
https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
If a woman is exposed to hiv and starts to take PEP, is it possible that she can still get pregnant at the time of exposure, or should she take a pill to get rid of any possible unwanted pregnancy.
Hi Yak,
Since your wife tested negative twice since stopping PEP, after 1 and 3 months, you can be confident that both she and your baby are HIV negative. There is no need to avoid your wife, you can continue to have sex using condoms without any risk of transmission to her or your child. Please have a look at our guide to testing and transmission if you are worried about this. It sounds like you could do with some support to help you deal with the worry you are experiencing. Do you know anybody else who is HIV positive, or any support organisations?
Thanks Rebecca for your reply! She stopped July 2013 and her last negative test was September 3,2013 & November,8,2013. Though she needed me but I’ve been avoiding her because I really wanted her and my baby safe. What do I do .
Hi Yak,
When did your wife stop taking PEP? If she has tested negative 1 month or more after stopping PEP, and she hasn’t had any exposure since then she is HIV negative and your baby will also be negative.
I am on the same situation but my fear has been that my wife got pregnant after taking PEP and now on her seventh months. She tested negative by third & fifth months . Will these be ok till she delivers ?