Timed vaginal insemination effective for HIV-affected couples trying to conceive

Timed vaginal insemination is an “acceptable, feasible, and effective” method for attempting pregnancy among HIV-infected women in low-resource settings, according to findings from a prospective pilot study published in PLoS One.

“Female-positive/male-negative HIV-serodiscordant couples express a desire for children and may engage in condomless sex to become pregnant. Current guidelines recommend antiretroviral treatment in HIV-serodiscordant couples, yet HIV RNA viral suppression may not be routinely assessed or guaranteed, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) may not be readily available,” OkaomaMmeje, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and colleagues wrote. “Therefore, options for becoming pregnant while limiting HIV transmission should be offered and accessible to HIV-affected couples desiring children.”

“HIV-serodiscordant couples planning to have children should be supported in shared decision-making with a range of reproductive options that may include treatment as prevention, timed condomless intercourse, [timed vaginal insemination], PrEP, and assisted reproductive technology services.” – by Caitlyn Stulpin

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The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below