Lots of people with HIV want to have children. This desire does not have to go unfulfilled. Conception, pregnancy and birth are all possible despite infection with HIV. HIV medications and other methods can almost completely eliminate risk of infection for the HIV-negative partner. Today there is almost no risk of infection for the child as well, when the appropriate precautionary measures are taken.
More information from the German AIDS service organization:
“Positively pregnant – brochure for pregnant women” (English; French; Portuguese; German; Spanish und Russian)
Conception
Conceiving a child through sex is also possible under certain conditions for people with HIV. These conditions include above all an effective HIV therapy.
Important: conception should only be attempted following in-depth counseling with an HIV-specialist. The HIV-negative partner is only confronted with as good as no risk of infection under very specific conditions.
If natural conception is out of the question or is not desired, then there are still two other options:
- If the woman is HIV-positive, conception can be achieved through artificial insemination with the sperm of the man.
- If the man is HIV-positive, his sperm is “washed.” This means: HIV is removed from the sperm in a laboratory. Following that, artificial insemination is carried out.
Detailed information on this subject can be found in the Robert Koch Institute’s guidelines on “Diagnostics and treatment for couples affected by HIV who want to have children.”
Will the child be healthy?
Transmission of HIV from an HIV-positive mother to the child can now be prevented in almost all cases using various measures.
The following measures are necessary:
- taking HIV medications regularly during the pregnancy
- regular examinations at the gynecologist and in an HIV specialist practice or HIV clinic
- a team doctors familiar with HIV should be ready during the birth
- do without breastfeeding
- preventive treatment for the child with HIV medications for four weeks
Today delivery is performed via caesarean section in most clinics. A vaginal delivery is also an option in some specialist clinics. A vaginal delivery does not place the child at higher risk as long as the above-mentioned conditions are met.
