Читать книгу Getting Pregnant For Dummies - Sharon Perkins - Страница 93

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a chronic infection that may or may not lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). At present, there is no cure for HIV or AIDS, although antiviral medications may keep HIV under control for some time. There are over one million people in the U.S. living with HIV, and approximately 15 percent of them are undiagnosed. Just under 40,000 new cases are reported per year.

While some HIV-infected men may have sperm abnormalities (like a lower sperm count), many will see no impact on their ability to father a child. Further, special sperm preparation and IUI or IVF with ICSI can significantly reduce the likelihood of transmitting HIV to their partner or fetus. HIV-infected women do not have fertility issues simply due to their HIV. Pregnancy is another story.

Check out the following facts about HIV and pregnancy:

 Women with HIV can become pregnant and carry the pregnancy to term, but they risk transmitting HIV to the baby or causing birth defects due to the medications they may be on.

 The risk of transmission is about 25 percent if you’re untreated but may be reduced dramatically if you receive antiviral drug regimens while you’re pregnant.

 You can reduce the chance of infecting a newborn to approximately 2 percent by using antiretroviral meds and not breastfeeding.

 You may reduce the risk of transmission of the disease to your baby if you have a cesarean section rather than a vaginal delivery.

 You must wait 3 to 18 months after delivery to find out whether your baby is HIV positive, because during pregnancy your antibodies are passed to the baby. This means that all babies of HIV-infected moms will test positive at birth. It can take as long as 18 months for all your antibodies to disappear from your baby’s blood. After your antibodies are all gone, if the baby tests positive, it means he or she is infected with the virus.

You can be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, before trying to conceive. If you are using any third-party reproductive techniques, you will be required to have many of these tests (we talk more about this in Chapter 20). If you suspect that you may have an STD, or have been exposed to one, you need to rule out this potential danger to your fertility and your unborn child.