If you’re an intended parent living with HIV, then you may have some concerns about passing the virus to your child. Maybe you have assumed that you can’t have a biological child, whether through surrogacy or not. Fortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
To learn more about how you can start your surrogacy journey today, fill out our online contact form and get more free information now. In the meantime, though, you can learn all you need to know about the logistics of surrogacy for HIV-positive couples. American Surrogacy is always here to help you out.
HIV and Surrogacy [What You Need to Know]
You know that HIV is transmitted through unprotected sex and various bodily fluids. Because of this, you may think that any form of conception, whether that’s through intercourse or surrogacy, is impossible. However, that is not the case. Advances in medicine have made it possible. Also, if you are HIV-positive, surrogacy is still an option for you.
The surrogacy process does not involve unprotected sex. In gestational surrogacy, the prospective surrogate is not related to the baby they carry. Either using a gamete donor or the intended parents’ eggs and/or sperm, a fertility clinic will create an embryo using those gametes. Once an embryo is created, it will then be transferred to the prospective surrogate’s uterus. This is also known as in vitro fertilization (IVF).
In traditional surrogacy, the prospective surrogate is biologically related to the baby they’re carrying. Through intrauterine insemination (IUI), the prospective surrogate’s own eggs are fertilized using a sperm donor or the intended father’s sperm. So, surrogacy for HIV-positive couples is still possible, whether you want to pursue gestational or traditional surrogacy.
HIV-Positive Surrogacy and Medical Advances
Still, you might be wondering if the baby can catch HIV through your genetics. Fortunately, a medical technique called “sperm washing” has made it possible for you not to transmit HIV to your baby. This is when a medical professional, such as a fertility clinic, collect sperm from an HIV-positive person and separates the sperm from infected cells in seminal fluid. This allows them to use only the sperm cells for the IVF process.
HIV is not transmitted through the sperm itself. Rather, it’s spread through the seminal fluid. A 2016 study found zero transmissions of HIV from 11,585 sperm washing procedures before IVF or IUI in nearly 4,000 women. For maximum safety, your fertility clinic may also require your prospective surrogate to take antiviral medication before the embryo transfer.
Requirements for Surrogacy for HIV-Positive Couples
To ensure that your HIV-positive surrogacy is as safe as possible, you will need to be non-infectious. In other words, you should:
- Follow your HIV treatment protocols
- Take medication as directed
- Have an undetectable viral load for a set number of months (usually six or more)
- Undergo testing for STDs
- Speak with your primary care physician
When it comes to creating the embryo for IVF, you will usually provide two or three semen samples for washing. If you need an egg donor, then you can work with your fertility clinic or a gamete bank to find one.
If you’re married or in a relationship with the intended mother and want to use their eggs, then they will need to undergo egg harvesting to create the embryo.
To work with American Surrogacy, in particular, you will need to meet a specific set of surrogacy requirements. This includes making the necessary emotional and financial preparations in advance.
We would love to help you start your surrogacy journey whenever you’re ready. Surrogacy for HIV-positive couples is possible, and our trusted team would be more than happy to guide you every step of the way. To get more surrogacy information now, you can contact us online at any time. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!