Getting pregnant with HIV
A person with HIVHIVA virus (human immunodeficiency virus) that affects the natural immune system. When someone…Read more can get pregnant naturally and have children who will not have HIV.
Getting pregnant naturally
Under certain conditions, it is possible for you to have sexual intercourse without a condom with your steady partnerPartnerPerson you are in a relationship with.Read more (steady relationship) who does not have HIV:
- If, for at least 6 months, the amount of HIV in your bloodBloodRed fluid that has important functions in the body, for example: carrying oxygen…Read more (viral loadViral loadAmount of HIV in the blood. If the viral load is high, HIV…Read more) can no longer be detected. If you take your medicines correctly every day, the viral load lowers. After several months, signs of the virusVirusVery small particle that can invade the body. It multiplies easily in the…Read more often can no longer be found in a test, and
- If your viral load was checked less than 6 months ago, and
- If you and your partner have no other STI.
Talk with your HIV counsellor and with your partner if you want to have sexual intercourseSexual intercourseSexual act in which the penis penetrates (enters) the vagina or anus.Read more without a condomCondomCovering of thin rubber that a man wears over his erect penis. A…Read more.
Woman talking with a HIV counsellor.
Couple talking.
If getting pregnant naturally is not possible
If it is not possible to get pregnant in a natural way, there is another option:
If the man has HIV
The HIV virus is inside the man’s semenSemenThick white fluid that comes out of a man's penis when he ejaculates.…Read more.
- A specialist can “wash” the semen to remove the virus .
- The specialist inserts the washed semen into the woman’s uterusUterusOrgan in a woman's belly in which a foetus can grow.Read more with a syringe.
If the woman has HIV
- The egg cellEgg cellFemale sex cell. A woman is born with many egg cells in her…Read more does not contain the virus.
- A specialist inserts the man’s semen into the uterus with a syringe.
PregnancyPregnancyThe time when a woman is expecting a baby. The pregnancy begins when…Read more and HIV
A pregnant woman with HIV has to take medicines during pregnancy and deliveryDeliveryThe process of giving birth to a baby.Read more. In this case, more than 99% of babies are born without HIV.
You can discuss with your gynaecologistGynaecologistDoctor specializing in health care during pregnancy, contraception and women's diseases. A gynaecologist…Read more whether you can have a natural delivery. Sometimes the baby has to be born through caesarean section.
The baby is given medicines after birth.
Most doctors in the Netherlands advise to bottle feed with baby formula instead of breast-feedingBreast-feedingA woman can breast-feed her baby with milk from her own breast, rather…Read more, as this eliminates the riskRiskPossibility that something unpleasant may happen, for example a disease.Read more of HIV transmission. However, a mother who has HIV and a suppressed viral load may breastfeed under the supervision of a doctorDoctorSomeone who is trained to cure sick people. Doctors can prescribe medicines. A…Read more. Consult your doctor / HIV practitioner if you are considering this.
A pregnant woman with HIV has to take medicines during pregnancy and delivery.
The gynaecologist discusses with the pregnant woman in which way she can best deliver her baby.
The mother botte-feeds her baby instead.