Question
I am a HIV positive man – can I ever have a child?
17 February 2011. Related: All topics, Pregnancy.
Might be a stupid question, but just asking. I am a HIV positive male. Will I ever be able to become father to a healthy child? Will I be able to have a baby using natural conception? Is my sperm defective? :-(
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Being HIV positive should not stop you having children. It is possible to have HIV negative children and to conceive naturally without infecting the mother of this child, if she is also negative. You would have to be stable on HIV treatment with an undetectable viral load. Both partners should be without STIs and unprotected sex should happen when the woman is ovulating. This will increase the chances of the woman getting pregnant without becoming positive herself.
Many discordant couples (where one person is positive and the other negative) are managing to conceive naturally and have negative children whilst not infecting each other. For more information on how to do this please follow this link
You may also find it useful to read the Swiss Statement . This describes the transmission risk for someone on stable HIV treatment as “negligible” and “similar to risks of daily life”. It is impossible to put a percentage risk on this.
When you decide you are ready for a child you should contact your doctor and speak to them about it.
Thanx. A lot that means a lot to me wish us luck!
Hi Prech,
In this situation sperm washing is probably unnecessary. Because you are both undetectable there is very little risk of reinfection.
Hi is the sperm wash necessary if we a both on ARVs and undetectable viral load and CD4 count is over 500? My husband doesn’t want 2 do a sperm wash but we want a child.
Hi Prech, please see our pregnancy guide for information on conceiving when you’re both positive.
My husband and I are both HIV positive. Our CD4 counts are above 500 and viral load is undetectable. Is it save to conceive normally and not using condom when I’m pregnant and we are both on ARVs? Plz help
Hi Lizette,
According to the NHS website it can take up to a year for your fertility to return to normal after stopping the injection. I’m not an expert on this, so it is something you may want to discuss with your nurse or doctor.
For information about falling pregnant when your boyfriend is negative please see our pregnancy guide. Let me know if you have any questions!
I am 36 year old female and I’m HIV positive, my boyfriend is negative, we both don’t have children, and we really would like to have a baby, I left using the injection 3 months ago and my period is normal and regular every month so far, how long will it take for the injection to be out of my system? And can I fall pregnant? My CD4 count is 522 and my viral load is also good, what are the chances? Please help
Hi. i-Base doesn’t run any connection services but try the personals section of the online forums at poz.com
I am hiv positive 39 olds I want hiv positive women 32 to 39 old
For those who wanna know about the new law in Argentina, here is the link…
http://www.leydefertilizacion.gba.gov.ar/la-ley/