Insemination with isolated and virologically tested spermatozoa is a safe way for human immunodeficiency type 1 virus-serodiscordant couples with an infected male partner to have a child

Abstract

Objective: To enable serodiscordant couples to reproduce while minimizing the risk of infecting the female partner and to demonstrate the feasibility of including these couples in an insemination program.

Design: Prospective follow-up study.

Setting: Ambulatory IUIs.

Patient(s): Fifty-six HIV-1-serodiscordant couples with a male infected partner.

Intervention(s): Sperm cell separation by the gradient density method followed by the swim-up method, virological detection, and IUI after ovarian stimulation.

Main outcome measure(s): Pregnancy rate, HIV-1 test, and p24 antigenemia in women.

Result(s): Two hundred thirteen IUIs were performed, and 37 pregnancies occurred, resulting in 33 births and 2 ongoing pregnancies. Fifty percent of couples have a child. No women were infected.

Conclusion(s): Our study demonstrates the efficiency of an IUI program with prepared and virologically tested spermatozoa in serodiscordant couples with an HIV-1-infected male partner, allowing the couples to have children without transmission of the virus to the female partner.