Systematic review of the effectiveness and safety of assisted reproduction techniques in couples serodiscordant for human immunodeficiency virus where the man is positive.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of assisted reproduction techniques (ART) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serodiscordant couples.

DESIGN

Systematic review of five databases of noncomparative open intervention and observational studies of serodiscordant couples undergoing ART, with study selection and data extraction performed independently and in duplicate.

SETTING

Tertiary fertility centers.

PATIENT(S): HIV serodiscordant couples where the man is HIV positive.

INTERVENTION(S): Intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), or intracytoplasmic injection (ICSI) performed after washed semen viral testing.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Pregnancy rates per cycle, cumulative pregnancy, abortion rate, and HIV seroconversion in newborns or women.

RESULT(S): Of the 658 abstracts retrieved, 41 were selected for review, and 17 full articles were included (3,900 IUI cycles in 1,184 couples in 11 aggregated studies and 738 ICSI/IVF cycles in 579 couples across 10 studies). The IUI and ICSI results were, respectively: pregnancy rates per cycle, 18% and 38.1%; cumulative pregnancy, 50% and 52.9%; and abortion rate, 15.6% and 20.6%. No seroconversions in women or newborns were detectable at birth or after 3 to 6 months.

CONCLUSION(S): Cumulative evidence suggests that ART is safe and effective for avoiding horizontal and vertical transmission in HIV serodiscordant couples.