Question
My girlfriend is positive, how can we have a baby?
14 October 2015. Related: All topics, HIV transmission, Pregnancy.
I am a circumcised man and my girlfriend is HIV positive, we want a baby. How can we do this? I don’t know about her viral load.
Answer
Hi,
It’s great you are thinking about having children.
Many couples like yours, with one positive and one negative partner, safely have HIV negative children. This is done using HIV treatment.
If she is not already on treatment she would start. After a couple of months her viral load will be undetectable. This means the risk of transmission is extremely low – close to zero. You can then have sex without a condom and conceive that way.
She would carry on taking her meds and this would protect the child while she is pregnant and during childbirth.
You can find lots of information about HIV and having children in our online guide.
ARVs are firstly important so that your boyfriend is not at risk when you are trying to become pregnant.
Continuing treatment is then important to protect your baby from HIV.
for more information see this guide about HIV and pregnancy.
I am HIV positive and my boyfriend is negative.
My CD4 Count is 750. Will i be able to have a baby?
Must I also go on ARVs?