Question
Swiss statement and other questions
28 September 2009. Related: Adherence, All topics, CD4 and viral load, Children, HIV transmission, Pregnancy, Supplements and herbs.
I read oline about the Swiss statement. Is it true that a man with HIV and who’s viral load is undetectable for at least 6 months and has no other sexual infections cannot pass the virus on to a woman?
I have been in a relationship with a girl from Moscow for 2 years. I have been there a few times. We haven’t had sex yet. I only found out that I was positive 4 months ago when I got ill.
I had to be started on ARVs pretty much straight away as my CD4 count was low at 90 and have responded really well. My last viral load was 45 and that was a month ago. I was on Reyataz, Truvada and ritonovir for one month and now I have been on Atripla for the last 2 months.
I am asking this because before we found out this horrible news, we were talking of one day having children. It has been quite difficult times for us over the past four months due to me having HIV. Is there any information that you can recomend on relationships where the man is HIV-positive and the woman is not? Also, can I expect my CD4 count to rise above 500. I am taking 200mg of selenium once a day and am also taking vitamin C with zinc twice a day. Will this help my immune system to recover?
Answer
Firstly, please excuse me for the delayed answer. I was at a community meeting and it was in Moscow :).
Sorry to hear about your positive test result.
The Swiss statement is still slightly controversial. You can read more about it here. But also another article here.
Some couples decide not to use condoms, while others prefer to still go on with using condoms as a further protection.
As for having children, nothing should stop you really. The procedure is explained here.
Finally, if you are adherent to the therapy, it is expected that your CD4 will grow and viral load stay below 50. The supplements that you are taking are all good and it is expected that they will help you recover better.
Hope this helps.