ABSTRACT
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects nearly 40 million people worldwide. It affects women and men equally, although in the USA the majority of cases are found in reproductive-aged men.1 Significant advancements in medical treatment using highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) have improved survivorship, and for individuals compliant with therapy the illness is now considered a chronic ailment rather than a terminal disease. However, a diagnosis of HIV remains a devastating blow to an individual’s expectations for a normal adult life. Couples in whom one or both partners are infected with HIV are counseled against pregnancy for fear of both horizontal and vertical transmission of the virus.
