Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on June 13, 2006
Human Reproduction 2006 21(8):1956-1960; doi:10.1093/humrep/del082
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OPINION |
Should ART be offered to HIV-serodiscordant and HIV-seroconcordant couples: an ethical discussion?
Womens and Childrens HospitalResearch Institute, Adelaide, Australia
To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Womens and Childrens HospitalResearch Institute, 72 King William Road, North Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia. E-mail: tamara.zutlevics{at}cywhs.sa.gov.au
Increasingly, fertility clinics are offering their services to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-serodiscordant couples where the woman is seropositive. In the case of HIV-seroconcordant couples, there remains a general reluctance to provide treatment. This attitude to seroconcordant couples is reminiscent of that once widely held towards serodiscordant couples when the risk of vertical transmission rates in pregnant women was greater than 12%. Due to recent advances in HIV clinical care and assisted reproduction technique (ART) procedures directed at reducing the risk of viral transmission during gamete transfer, where good healthcare is available, the current risk rate has fallen to 12%. This article deals with the ethical arguments of those who remain opposed to offering HIV-serodiscordant and HIV-seroconcordant couples access to ART. Until these arguments have been addressed, clinics providing ART to such couples cannot be assured that their practices are ethical.
Key words: assisted reproduction/ethics/HIV/seroconcordant/serodiscordant
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