HIV seroconversion in a woman preparing for assisted reproduction: an inherent risk in caring for HIV-serodiscordant couples.
A woman preparing to undergo IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection to avoid horizontal viral transmission of HIV from her seropositive husband was discovered to be HIV seropositive, presumably secondary to a condom break or unprotected intercourse. Had this event occurred after treatment, the sperm-washing technique used to avoid infection would have undoubtedly been called into question. Nearly all HIV-serodiscordant couples are sexually active and therefore at risk for transmitting infection, either due to improper condom use or unprotected intercourse. Physicians willing to treat HIV-serodiscordant couples must accept the inevitability of viral transmission in occasional individuals. Furthermore, it should not be presumed that all patients who experience seroconversions after either intrauterine insemination or IVF procedures do so as a result of inadequacies in the sperm preparation technique.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10019, USA. mvs9@columbia.edu
Mark V
MV
Sauer
Janet
J
Choi
D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D005260:Female; D006678:HIV / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; D012306:Risk; D019562:Viral Load