Question
I'm HIV negative and my girfriend's positive. Can we have a baby?
25 June 2012. Related: All topics, Pregnancy, Sero different couples.
I am dating a woman who is HIV positive and I love her with all my heart.
Now we want to start having kids.
What can I do, because I am HIV negative?
Answer
It is great that you love your girlfriend and plan to have children with her. Many sero-different couples (where one is HIV positive and the other is not), have had and continue to have healthy HIV negative babies.
There are a number of conception options available to a couple like you. These depend on a number of factors including whether your girlfriend is taking ARVs (antiretroviral treatment for HIV).
A simple method which protects you from catching HIV is the Do-It-Yourself articificial insemination. This is a method if self insemination using a plastic syringe. Around the time of ovulation, you put your sperms as high as possible into your girlfriend’s vagina.(Ovulation takes place in the middle of your girlfriend’s cycle, about 14 days before her period).
Different clinics may recommend different methods. One way is to have protected intercourse with a spermicide-free condom. Another is for you to ejaculate into a container. In both cases, you or your girlfriend can then insert the sperm into her vagina.
For more detailed information on the above and other options available to you, please follow this link to our guide to HIV, pregnancy and women’s health. The guide also answers a lot of general questions you and your girlfriend may have around HIV and pregnancy.
Good luck with your future plans.
Hi Shatty,
We get lots of couples asking us questions like this. It is possible to have a baby with an HIV positive man without either you or your baby being infected but you do need to take precautions for this to be safe. Please have a look at this previous question and let me know if you need any further information!
i love my husband very much but he is HIV positive and am not but we want to make babies is that possible? pls help me
I’m sorry but i-Base no longer answers questions about HIV testing or the risk of sexual transmission. This is because these questions are already answered in our Testing and transmission guide.
My girlfriend was test HIV positive a week before having sex with her. I was called to come n I tested negative. Her cd4 count is less than 3. Truely I am still worried becos I read about the symptoms and she has exhibited most of them. Right now she is on ARV, she seem to be responding to treatment. She later told me that a doctor told her about 6 months ago that she has AIDS but was scared to tell me. Am very confuse and it has begin to affect my general output at work. The doctor said I should come for anoda test in 3months time. Though the doctor also said looking at my test result he is confident that I will still test negative in 3 months time, how can he be so sure?
I’m sorry but i-Base no longer answers individual questions about risks of HIV transmission or HIV testing.
This service is based on information relating to treatment of people who are HIV positive.
Information online
Most testing questions are already answered on the FAQ page:
http://i-base.info/qa/faq/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Our guide to HIV Testing and risks of sexual transmission guide has more detailed and easy to read information about these topics. It can be read online at this link:
http://i-base.info/guides/testing
if a woman has sex with man with HIV does she get it?
Hi Eric,
I’m sorry but i-Base no longer answers questions about HIV testing and transmission. This is because this information is covered in our guide to HIV testing and risks of sexual transmission. If you are concerned about symptoms please speak to a doctor.
i had Fever(one week) and body aches and went in for some Malaria treatment (i took P-Alaxin, Lumether and Diclofinac) and was well after that. That was around the 4th of June. Then i started having some body aches and reddening of the gums today 27th June. Can this the cause of an HIV infection. My exposure was high risk.
I will like to know whether what i am experincing is consistent with HIV infection,
How long can HIV symptoms last in an infected person.(seroconversion)
Dear Ismaney
It is possible for you and your husband to have a baby naturally without him passing HIV to you. However, this depends on a number of factors including: Your husband taking ARVs AND having an undetectable viral load. Viral load refers to the amount of virus in his body. Having an undetectable viral load means there is very little virus. Therefore, the chances of you catching HIV are dramatically reduced. However, there are a number of other conditions that need to be present in order to minimise the risk of you catching HIV as you try and conceive. Please follow this link to our guide to the Swiss statement which clearly outlines these conditions.
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy/swiss-statement
You may also find it helpful to read our guide to HIV, pregnancy and women’s health. The guide not only provides information on conception options for sero-different couples (where one it HIV positive and the other is not), it also answers a lot of general questions you may have around HIV and pregnancy.
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy/what-to-do-when-one-partner-is-hiv-positive-and-the-other-is-hiv-negative
Good luck with your future plans.
if my husband is taking ARV’s can i have a baby with him???? is it possible for us to have a baby naturally without effecting me???