Question

I don’t want to start treatment yet. Am i at risk?

20 August 2014. Related: All topics, Newly diagnosed, Pregnancy, Starting treatment.

I have just been diagnosed. My CD4 count is 609. I have been transferred to my local clinic for counseling but i do not want to start treatment yet. Am i putting myself at risk? Can i still have children with my negative partner?

Answer

Answer: Robin Jakob

I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

A CD4 count of 609 is strong. This means that you have plenty of time to think about and process your diagnosis. In the UK guidelines recommend that people who have HIV start treatment once their CD4 count has fallen to 350. This could take a number of years.

It is common now for couples where one partner is negative and the other positive to have negative children. This usually involves the positive partner being on treatment.

Because being on treatment reduces the risk of transmission significantly most couples choose to conceive naturally. This means having sex without a condom. There are a couple of conditions on this. The first is that the positive partner has to have had an undetectable viral load for several months. The second is that neither partner has any other sexually transmitted infections.

You can read more about being newly diagnosed on our website.

Or guide to HIV and pregnancy also has information about conceiving.