Expert Shares How Couples With HIV Can Plan Pregnancy Safely With Modern IVF

For decades, an HIV diagnosis was considered a roadblock to parenthood. From fear of infection, limited treatment options, and social stigma couples were often forced to abandon their dreams of having a biological child. However, that reality has changed now. With advances in medical science, especially modern fertility treatments, couples living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) can now plan pregnancy safely and responsibly.

In an exclusive interaction with the editorial team of Onlymyhealth, our expert, Dr Shobha Gupta, Medical Director and IVF Consultant, Mothers Lap IVF Centre, Delhi, explained, HIV is no longer a situation that can restrict a couple to experience happiness of being mothers and fathers. “In the current scenario, HIV is no longer a disease that can restrict one’s dream of being parents. With the help of medical science, specifically present In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Assistance Reproductive Technologies (ART), HIV-infected couples can get pregnant in a proper and healthy manner. Its just that the two most important aspects are accurate information and proper treatment and consultations from experts," shared Dr Gupta.

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What Doctors Prioritise While Planning Pregnancy in HIV-Positive Couples

When an HIV-positive couple approaches a fertility specialist, pregnancy planning is done with extreme care. According to Dr Gupta, the three main medical objectives that cover the whole process are as follows:

• Keeping the viral load under strict control using Antiretroviral Therapy (ART, i.e. medicines that suppress HIV in the body)
• Protecting the uninfected partner and the baby from HIV transmission
• Choosing safe conception methods supported by modern fertility science

The Anti-Retroviral Therapy helps the amount of the virus present in the blood, commonly referred to as viral loads, can be minimised to undetectable levels. Hence, making it relatively easier to conceive, as the chances of transmission are now lower than before.

How Modern IVF Enables a Safe Pregnany for HIV Couple

One of the biggest developments for couples affected by HIV has been the involvement of IVF, a procedure where the fertilisation process itself takes place outside the body, in a laboratory setting. Dr Gupta has emphasised the role of IVF and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), a procedure where a single sperm cell is directly injected inside the egg.

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One of the most important steps in these procedures is sperm washing. This is an important lab process that separates healthy sperm from the fluids that may carry the HIV virus. “This semen is purified before being used in IVF or ICSI procedures to prevent infection,” she explained.

According to Dr Gupta, the sperm washing procedure has proven to be a game-changer for couples where the male is HIV-positive since the process virtually eliminates the risk of the negative partner and the baby acquiring the virus.

What If the Woman is HIV Positive?

“In cases where the woman is HIV-positive, pregnancy care is centered on ensuring strict adherence to antiretroviral medication and monitoring the viral load. This significantly decreases the probability of the child being HIV-positive. Presently, numerous HIV-positive women have managed to give birth to HIV-negative children, which is a great advancement in science. It is no longer the end of the world when one learns that the other is HIV-positive,” Dr Gupta pointed 

Bottomline

With controlled viral load, Antiretroviral Therapy, and modern IVF-based techniques like sperm washing, couples living with HIV can safely plan healthy pregnancies.