UNCONVENTIONAL CONCEPTIONS AND HIV

The condom is widely recommended as the principal method for preventin g HIV transmission, but such advice obviously does not apply to women who are seeking to become pregnant. In this sense, 'safer sex' is inco mpatible with reproduction. Existing research into HIV transmission ha s examined the choices made by those wishing to conceive within a sexu al relationship; such research shows that HIV is not a highly signific ant factor in their decision-making processes. This study aims to exte nd the debate by exploring the decision-making processes of women seek ing to become pregnant with donated sperm. In particular, we focus on women outside the fertility clinic system who do not have access to sp erm screened for HIV to see whether HIV is a significant factor in the se women's decisions. The study involved in-depth interviews with 20 w omen (14 lesbians, one bisexual and five heterosexuals) recruited thro ugh informal networking and snowball sampling. HIV was a salient conce rn for our sample, largely because of their contacts with gay men, but nonetheless most of these women took some risks. On the one hand, the conscious deliberations necessary to conceive through self-inseminati on facilitated risk reduction, as did factors such as 'stranger-danger '. On the other hand, factors such as the scarcity of suitable sperm d onors and the women's own feelings of gratitude and loyalty to their d onors mitigated against their requesting that their donor take an HIV test. This study highlights the need to provide information for women seeking self-insemination, and to remove restrictions on access to fer tility clinics, in order to reduce their risk of HIV infection and sub sequent vertical transmission.