The controversial ``sperm-washing'' procedure which was developed in Italy and which is being carried out at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital gives women whose male partners are infected the chance of having children without risking contracting the disease themselves or passing it on to their children.

The first British couple to complete the treatment conceived two weeks ago, after waiting five years for doctors to perfect the technique. The couple, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: ``This pregnancy has overwhelmed us with joy. We are thankful those who helped us conceive a baby by the safest possible means.''

HIV sufferers are living longer than ever before, as a result of effective drug therapy, and more patients are trying to live normal lives. Dr Carole Gilling-Smith, the programme's leadinggynaecologist and fertility specialist, says: ``We have received many enquiries from couples wanting to participate in the programme. This is a risk reduction treatment that has undergone rigorous trials to ensure there is minimal chance of passing HIV on to either the woman or her baby. But, no method can be entirely risk-free.''

Sperm-washing has caused controversy among the medical community, particularly in the US where it is illegal to transfer HIV-contaminated blood or tissue from one person to another. In one case, an American doctor was sued by the couple he treated after the woman contracted HIV. The only place in Britain to offer sperm-washing, the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, asks couples to sign a form indicating that they realise there is a risk of infection.

To wash sperm, doctors put a sample of semen into a test tube containing a dense fluid called percol. The tube is placed in a centrifuge for 20 minutes, where the force pushes the sperm through the fluid leaving the infected semenplasma and non-sperm cells floating on top. The sperm is mixed with another solution, similar to saline but with added nutrients, before being centrifuged again. The tube is then put in an incubator where, after 30 minutes, the live sperm try to swim up the tube. The contents of the tube is then tested to see whether HIV is still present. The 16 couples who are coming through the three-month programme -- which involves counselling, fertility and tests for venereal disease -- will pay US$2,300 for the first insemination. Further attempts will cost US$1,500 each. So far, only one of them have conceived.

The Observer News Service