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Donor insemination and human immunodeficiency virus transmission
P M Wortley1, T A Hammett, P L Fleming
1Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Centers for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. pmwl@cdc.gov
Obstetrics and Gynecology
|April 16, 1998
Summary
Few women were infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through donor insemination before screening began. Current practices and upcoming FDA regulations aim to further prevent HIV transmission via sperm donation.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Reproductive Health
Background:
- Donor insemination historically posed a risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission.
- The initiation of donor screening significantly reduced this risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) linked to donor insemination.
- To compare surveillance data with estimates of pre-screening HIV infections in women receiving donor insemination.
Main Methods:
- Reviewed national HIV/AIDS surveillance data up to December 1996.
- Estimated pre-screening HIV infections using data on insemination frequency, donor demographics, HIV prevalence, and transmission rates.
Main Results:
- Six documented and two possible cases of AIDS attributed to donor insemination were reported.
- An estimated 8-141 women were infected via donor insemination in the US between 1980-1984.
Conclusions:
- The number of women infected through donor insemination before screening was low.
- Sperm bank screening practices are improving, with FDA regulations pending.
- Self-insemination remains a potential risk for new HIV infections.