Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. Unfortunately, me and my girlfriend have both contracted HIV in
the past 6 months. As you can imagine this is quite a difficult
time for us and we have so many questions to ask and have no idea
where to turn. I just want to ask you one question:
Do you think that it would be a bad idea for me and my girlfriend
to start a family now? Should we just forget about having
children if in 10 years we could both be dead?
I am eagerly
awaiting your reply.
I am so sorry to hear that both you and your girlfriend are HIV positive. But you two can start a family anytime you want. The life expectancy of a newly diagnosed HIV patient is about 45 years with the current state-of-the-art medications. And it could be even longer as science progresses. So there should be plenty to time for grandchildren, too.
With the current regimens used during pregnancy, the chance of transmission to the baby is less than 1%. And, of course, you could also adopt, if you didn't want to take even that risk.
If your girlfriend has just been newly infected, she may still have a really high viral load. I would not recommend conceiving until this comes down.
Editor's Note:
For additional information about seroconcordant and discordant couples (both partners positive or one partner is positive) couples and fertility, please access the following on-line resources:
American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Visit www.asrm.org.
Bay Area Perinatal AIDS Center (BAPAC), at the University of California, San Francisco's (UCSF) Positive Health Program in San Francisco General Hospital. Visit php.ucsf.edu/bapac.
Center for Women's Reproductive Care, at Columbia University in New York City. Conducts IVF for serodiscordant couples. Call (646) 756-8282.
SMART (Sisterhood Mobilized for AIDS/HIV Research & Treatment), New York City, provides treatment and prevention education and support for women impacted by HIV/AIDS. Call (917) 593-8797, write smartuniv@aol.com or visit www.smartuniversity.org.
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