Timed vaginal insemination is a safe, effective way to help HIV-affected couples conceive, finds a new pilot study in Kenya led by a Michigan Medicine researcher.

But medical advancements are not only allowing people with HIV to live longer and fuller lives — but to grow their families, too.

Timed vaginal insemination is a safe, effective way to help HIV-affected couples conceive, finds a new pilot study in Kenya led by a Michigan Medicine researcher and published in the PLOS ONE.

Among 23 couples, in which the woman was HIV-positive and the man was not, timed vaginal insemination led to six live births without a case of HIV transmission.

«People who are living with a stable HIV infection are focused on fully integrating into their communities and living productive lives,» says lead author Okeoma Mmeje, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Michigan Medicine. Mmeje conducted the study while at the University of California, San Francisco.

«HIV does not change an individual’s desire to have children,» she says. «Our study describes a feasible, safe and effective method for women living with HIV to achieve pregnancy.»

HIV-serodiscordant

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Materials provided by Michigan Medicine — University of Michigan. Original written by Beata Mostafavi. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.