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In vitro fertilization when men, women, or both partners are positive for HIV: a case–control study

  • Gynecologic Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for couples where one or both partners were positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to matched control couples.

Methods

A matched case–control retrospective study was performed. Data for 104 couples where the woman was HIV-positive; for 90 couples where the man was HIV-positive; and for 33 couples where both partners were HIV-positive were prospectively analyzed in comparison to matched controls treated in our center during the same period. The main outcomes were clinical pregnancy and live birth rates.

Results

For couples involving an HIV-positive man, clinical outcomes were comparable to controls and resulted in the birth of 18 healthy babies after 90 cycles. When the woman was affected, cycle cancelation, number of retrieved oocytes, and on-going clinical pregnancy rates per transfer were statistically reduced. Implantation rates were comparable to those of non-affected controls. Seven healthy babies for 104 cycles were obtained. For a couple in which both partners were HIV-positive, only one healthy birth occurred after 33 cycles. Pregnancy rates were systematically reduced though not significantly probably due to sample size.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that IVF outcomes were similar to controls when men were HIV-positive and remain acceptable when women were HIV-positive. IVF outcomes were severely reduced in our sero-concordant couples; however, many patients had severe HIV disease previously, and therefore, these results should be reassessed in patients treated early in their disease.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gynaecology, CHU St-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles, rue Haute 322, 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Pauline Vankerkem, Yannick Manigart, Chloë Shaw-Jackson, Serge Rozenberg & Candice Autin

  2. Department of Gynaecology, Clinique St Vincent, Rue François Lefèbvre 207, 4000, Rocourt, Belgium

    Annick Delvigne

  3. Data centre, Jules Bordet Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, rue Hégèr Bordet 1, 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Lieveke Ameye

  4. Department of Infectious Diseases, CHU St-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles, rue Haute 322, 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Deborah Konopnicki

Authors
  1. Pauline Vankerkem
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  2. Yannick Manigart
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  3. Annick Delvigne
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  4. Lieveke Ameye
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  5. Deborah Konopnicki
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  6. Chloë Shaw-Jackson
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  7. Serge Rozenberg
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  8. Candice Autin
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Contributions

PV project development, data collection, data analysis, and manuscript writing/editing. YM: protocol and project development, data analysis, and manuscript editing. AD: protocol and project development, and manuscript editing. LA: statistical analysis and manuscript editing. DK: protocol and project development, data analysis, and manuscript editing. CSJ: data collection, data analysis, and manuscript writing/editing. SR: project development, data analysis, and manuscript writing/editing. CA: protocol and project development, and manuscript editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chloë Shaw-Jackson.

Ethics declarations

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. In addition, for HIV-positive couples, a specific informed consent was signed.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. No funding was received for this study.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Pauline Vankerkem and Yannick Manigart shared first authorship.

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Vankerkem, P., Manigart, Y., Delvigne, A. et al. In vitro fertilization when men, women, or both partners are positive for HIV: a case–control study. Arch Gynecol Obstet 295, 1493–1507 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-017-4374-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-017-4374-0

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