Risks, Pregnancies and Births
Risks
The risk of the mother or baby contracting HIV disease from this procedure is less than it would be if a pregnancy were attempted by using unprotected sex or sperm from untested specimens. As of December 2023, no one using tested semen through SPAR has become infected.
The risks of the infertility procedures themselves will be explained by the gynecologists and infertility specialists.
Although no one has become infected following the use of tested sperm, the SPAR protocol includes HIV antibody testing at 3 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after each pregnancy attempt, whether or not pregnancy was achieved.
Pregnancies and Births
The Special Program of Assisted Reproduction (SPAR) started in 1994 as a support group for couples living with incurable sexually transmitted virus diseases such as AIDS. Baby Ryan, the first SPAR baby, was born May 1999.
Since 1999, more than 450 babies have been born from all procedures, with all moms and babies testing negative for HIV disease.