Skip Navigation


Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on July 19, 2007
Human Reproduction 2007 22(9):2353-2358; doi:10.1093/humrep/dem226
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF ) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
22/9/2353    most recent
dem226v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (4)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Barreiro, P.
Right arrow Articles by Soriano, V.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Barreiro, P.
Right arrow Articles by Soriano, V.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

NEW DEBATE

Is natural conception a valid option for HIV-serodiscordant couples?

Pablo Barreiro1,3, José Antonio Castilla2, Pablo Labarga1 and Vincent Soriano1

1 Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Carlos III, Calle Sinesio Delgado 10, 28029 Madrid, Spain 2 Reproduction Unit, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain

3 Correspondence address. Tel: +34 914 53 2781; Fax: +34 917 33 6614; E-mail: pm.barreiro{at}gmail.com

The remarkable reduction in HIV-related morbidity and mortality as a consequence of the widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has led to a growing number of HIV-infected persons and their partners requesting counselling regarding the chances of reproduction. A thoughtful medical evaluation of the couple, which should entail HIV status, screening for genital infections and fertile potential, is needed before considering any reproductive attempt. Given that both sexual and perinatal transmission of HIV is directly correlated with the level of viral replication, being almost negligible in patients with undetectable viremia, HAART should be given to the infected partner to minimize the risk of transmission. Assisted reproduction after ‘sperm washing' may further reduce the chances of infection, although this is not within reach or desire for a significant number of HIV-serodiscordant couples. From our perspective, natural conception could now be considered a possible alternative for HIV-serodiscordant couples, as long as complete suppression of viremia with HAART is achieved in the infected partner. The objective of this paper is to propose a protocol that may minimize risks in HIV-discordant couples that have opted for natural conception.

Key words: HIV/sexual transmission/vertical transmission/antiretroviral therapy/viral load

Submitted on February 3, 2007; resubmitted on June 1, 2007; accepted on June 21, 2007.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Clin. Microbiol.Home page
C. Pasquier, K. Saune, S. Raymond, N. Moinard, M. Daudin, L. Bujan, and J. Izopet
Determining Seminal Plasma Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Load in the Context of Efficient Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy
J. Clin. Microbiol., September 1, 2009; 47(9): 2883 - 2887.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.