The efficiency of sperm washing in removing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 varies according to the seminal viral load.

We evaluated the relationship between the seminal HIV-1 viral load and the efficiency of a standardized sperm-washing procedure in removing HIV-1 RNA from semen samples. The results obtained indicate that the amount of virus present in the original sample affects the efficiency of the procedure and suggest that the seminal viral load should be preevaluated before enrolling an HIV-serodiscordant couple in an assisted reproduction protocol.