Artificial insemination by donor: safety and secrecy

Article Abstract:

The secrecy that surrounds artificial insemination with donor semen in the United States may have adverse health consequences for the women who are inseminated. A study of HIV infection contracted through donor insemination traced seven women in North America who were infected by their donor's semen. The women were inseminated before HIV testing became available in 1986. A total of 12 cases of HIV infection worldwide are known to have resulted from insemination with semen from HIV-positive donors. The Centers for Disease Control issued recommendations in 1988 that called for HIV testing of semen donors and freezing of the semen until the donor was retested six months later. However, these recommendations are not mandatory and it is unknown how many practitioners follow them. Additionally, those who practice artificial insemination are not required to undergo special training or have a license so there is no way to track adherence to safety standards. Because donors and recipients often desire secrecy it is also difficult to establish a link between an infected donor and a potentially infected recipient. Education of donor semen recipients may be the best tool for minimizing potential health consequences of artificial insemination.

Health aspects, Editorial, Artificial insemination

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Condom use among male injecting-drug users - New York City, 1987-1990

Article Abstract:

A survey of 450 male intravenous drug abusers in Manhattan, NY found that only 31% always used a condom during sexual intercourse. Twenty-six percent used a condom sometimes and 43% never used one. Men with both steady and casual sex partners were more likely to use a condom, and they were more likely to use it when having casual sex. They were also more likely to use one if their peers used one, or if they were trying to reduce their risk of contracting HIV through shared needles. Over half of the intravenous drug abusers in Manhattan are HIV-positive. They can transmit the virus to their sexual partners. Twenty-two percent of women with AIDS in the US say they have had sex with an intravenous drug abuser. The higher rates of condom use in men whose friends were also using condoms indicates that methods that involve peer groups may be most effective in getting these men to change their behavior.

Sexual behavior, Drug addicts, Drug abusers

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HIV, heterosexual transmission, and women

Article Abstract:

HIV infection can be transmitted through heterosexual sex, and more women than men are infected this way. As of Mar 1992, 7,781 women had contracted the infection through heterosexual sex, compared to 5,100 men. Although the use of a condom during sex can reduce the transmission of the virus, women have no control over its use. And while diaphragms and cervical caps can protect the cervix, the virus can still enter through vaginal tissue. There is an urgent need for a condom-like device whose use women can control. In Jan 1992, an advisory panel to the FDA recommended approving a female condom, even though there is no evidence yet that it will protect women from contracting the disease. Until that evidence accumulates, women should be cautious about the number and types of men with whom they have sex. Teenage girls should minimize their sexual activity or ask their partners to use a condom.

Methods, Women, AIDS (Disease), Safe sex, AIDS (Disease) in women

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