Sperm are washed in people with HIV

The advent of highly active antiretroviral drugs (HAART) has greatly improved the life expectancy and quality of life of people living with HIV compared to the past. Although it is discouraged to have children with HIV infection, a large proportion of people living with HIV are of reproductive age and many HIV-infected couples are eager to have children. They are desperate to find methods to help give birth to healthy, disease-free babies.
Sperm washing for people living with HIV is a method that is receiving much attention from couples whose husbands are HIV positive and the wife is negative. This is a safer method than having unprotected sex to get pregnant. The principle of this method is quite simple: in theory, the HIV virus is present in some cells found in semen but not in sperm. The semen sample from an HIV-infected husband will be rotated in a centrifuge, the machine will scan the sperm on one side and the semen on the other side. The sperm is then washed through a special gel that removes HIV-infected material. After washing, the sperm count will be divided into two parts. Half will be used to test for traces of the HIV virus. If the sample is negative, the other half of the sperm will be implanted in the woman's uterus. The wife will be monitored according to the procedure of an assisted reproductive technology insemination.

The world's first case of sperm washing for people living with HIV who wanted to have children was carried out in 1989. A study in 2000 showed that the first baby was born from this technique (in 2000 the baby was already born). 11 years old), the child's mother and more than 350 similarly conceived children (with their mothers) were HIV-free.
A 2004 WHO report compiled from 23 different studies conducted in Europe found that: in 914 couples who performed sperm washing for people with HIV. After the sperm were washed, the couples performed a total of 1680 cycles of assisted reproduction (72.7% were inseminated by intrauterine insemination and the rest were in vitro fertilization). Studies have reported that neither wife has been infected with HIV nor has any child been born with HIV infection.

For the safety of couples whose husbands are infected with HIV, they are often advised to adopt or use healthy sperm from a donor. If you and your partner want to have a baby with HIV by using sperm filtration, you must consider it carefully. While reports of results are very encouraging, one thing is for sure, there is no method that is safe or guaranteed to be absolutely successful. Even in developed countries where there have been many cases of sperm screening for HIV-infected people who want to have children, the certainty of this method has not been confirmed. If an HIV-infected child is unfortunately born, the adults will be extremely regretful.

If after consulting and analyzing the risks, the couple still decide to perform this sperm filter, the couple must strictly follow the examination process of the medical facility and the instructions of the doctor. treating doctor. To make sure the wife is not infected with HIV, the wife will usually be tested and monitored for 6 months to rule out cases of HIV infection in the window period. After this time, if the wife is tested again, she is still completely negative for HIV. The husband's sperm washing will be done, after performing many tests to make sure the sperm are free of HIV, the doctor will proceed to implant the sperm in the wife's uterus. The wife should be closely monitored throughout the pregnancy until the baby is one year old. During the procedure, the husband needs to maintain HIV treatment with highly active antiretroviral drugs (HAART). In the method of sperm washing, the pregnancy rate in the wife will be higher when the husband has a low viral load.
Method of washing sperm for artificial insemination is available at Vinmec International General Hospital. The sperm washing process at Vinmec is carried out methodically and scientifically, in a sterile environment and conditions of international standards, ensuring the best sperm quality. The sperm washing process is performed by leading modern medical equipment, under the supervision of leading infertility treatment experts and doctors, helping the process of artificial insemination. achieve the highest results, helping to realize the dream of parenthood of hundreds of families across Vietnam.
If you have a need for consultation and examination at the Hospitals of the National Health System, please book an appointment on the website for the best service.
References: webmd.com, euro.who.int