Me and my partner aged 26, 27 and positive for the past year with CD4`s of 575(me) and 477(her) and viral loads of less than 18,000 and not on therapy.may you please advise us on any option that decreases the viral load to undetectable levels apart from ARV`s.we are plannimg to have a baby,would you also advice us to enrol for ARV`S.we are in Botswana,and healthy.

ARV's are your best bet for decreasing viral load -- there is really no other way to do it. ARV treatment during pregnancy is particularly important because it can markedly reduce the risk of your partner transmitting the virus to your baby. I would urge you to learn as much as you can about mother-to-child transmission and the measures that you can take to reduce the risk of transmission. There are several good sources of information on this web site, including "Use of Antiretroviral Agents During Pregnancy", available in the "Treatment Guidelines" section. The World Health Organization (www.who.int) also has several excellent documents, including a set of treatment guidelines, which are widely used.