Until a few years ago, if one of the partners in a couple had a sexually transmitted disease such as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), hepatitis B or hepatitis C, unprotected sexual intercourse was medically contraindicated. Natural conception was therefore impossible in these serodiscordant couples (where one of the partners carries one of these diseases).

The development of medically assisted procreation techniques such as in vitro fertilisation (where the union of the oocyte and spermatozoon takes place outside the woman's body) has enabled these couples to achieve a pregnancy without risking to contaminate the spouse or the baby.

Today, thanks to medical advances, the vast majority of couples in which one of the partners is a carrier of HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, can have unprotected sex without risk of contamination.

However, for reasons other than disease, or in situations where the risk of transmission is still too high, these couples may need to use medically assisted procreation techniques.

Dealing with such situations requires special procedures, techniques and equipment to eliminate the potential risk of contamination. The Fertas Lausanne laboratory is the only laboratory in French-speaking Switzerland and one of the few in Switzerland to be accredited for the treatment of serodiscordant couples.

Handling of viral situations