HIV and Surrogacy

Everything you need to know about Surrogacy as an Intended Parent living with HIV.

You can become a biological parent if you are HIV+.

Hundreds of HIV+ people have become parents through surrogacy. Both men and women living with HIV may choose surrogacy to ensure the safety of their partner (if they have one) and their child. Thanks to special precautions, HIV has never been transmitted to a Gestational Carrier through surrogacy.

Surrogacy for men living with HIV

Fertility Clinics have embraced special programs that allow the doctors to test the semen and wash the sperm. HIV is not present in the sperm, only in the seminal fluid.

The process of becoming a parent through surrogacy when living with HIV requires a few extra steps.

When you provide a semen sample it will be tested. The semen sample will then be “washed”, a process that separates the sperm from the seminal fluid. The sperm is then suspended in a new solution and can be cryogenically preserved.

Is It Safe For a Surrogate to Carry For HIV+ Future Parents?

There are a number of precautions that are taken to ensure the safety of the Surrogate. Preventing the Surrogate from contracting HIV will be the top priority of everyone involved.

If you are on antiretroviral therapy and have an undetectable viral load you cannot spread HIV through sexual contact. “Sexual contact” can be expanded to include surrogacy, as the embryo is created from your sperm and placed in the Surrogate’s uterus.

To be considered non-infectious you need to be:

following your HIV treatment protocol
taking your medications, as directed
have an undetectable viral load for at least 6 months
not have contracted other sexually transmitted infections in the last 6 months

As an Intended Parent living with HIV you will need to:

show records of your undetectable viral load
have testing completed for other sexually transmitted diseases
provide multiple semen samples for HIV testing

For increased protection, your Surrogate Mother will be given antiviral medication prior to the embryo transfer and for several weeks of her pregnancy. Taken in early pregnancy, the antiviral medication is considered safe for the baby and the Surrogate.

We help people living with HIV navigate surrogacy and egg donation to become parents.

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