World AIDS Day: Is It Safe For An AIDS-Infected Woman To Conceive?

Andhra Pradesh has the largest number of HIV transmissions in India, with 3, 18,814 cases, followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka. According to the most recent data from the National AIDS Control Organization, over 17 lakh persons in the country caught HIV in the last ten years as a result of unprotected intercourse (April 2022 data).

According to antibody testing data, 15,782 persons were infected with HIV through blood and blood products, while 4,423 were infected through mother-to-child transmission. On this World Aids Day, we debate whether it is possible for an AIDS patient to conceive safely.

However, breakthroughs in HIV treatment and prevention allow HIV-positive couples to become pregnant without risk of infecting their children with the virus. “For years, HIV-positive women have taken the anti-HIV medicine safely during pregnancy in order to safeguard their children from HIV.”

However, with modern medical developments and careful preparation, it is now feasible to have a healthy pregnancy while preventing HIV transmission to an HIV-negative partner or the baby. If you or your partner has HIV/AIDS and wants to have children, it is completely possible to conceive safely,” says Dr. Prasannalatha, Senior Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Kamineni Hospitals in Hyderabad.

There are techniques for you to become pregnant while reducing your partner’s risk of HIV infection. It is best to consult your doctor about strategies to become pregnant while still protecting your spouse.

“Everyone living with HIV should take ART medications on a daily basis to keep healthy.” If you are thinking about becoming pregnant and are not taking HIV treatment, it is important that you begin, because this will lower your chances of passing the virus to your baby when you become pregnant,” says Dr. Ch. Manoj Kumar, Senior Consultant and General Physician, Manipal Hospitals, Vijayawada.

Women are more susceptible to illness during intercourse than males. If you do not have HIV but your male partner does, the chance of contracting HIV while attempting to conceive is decreased but not eliminated. “Talk to your doctor about HIV treatment (called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP) that you can take to help protect you and your baby from HIV,” Dr. Kumar says.