The federal government wants couples to wait even longer to try to have a child if the man has had possible exposure to the Zika virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that couples should wait six months to try for a pregnancy if the man has had possible Zika exposure but no symptoms. The new time frame is more than double the previous guidance of eight weeks.
The CDC also increased the amount of time men should use a condom to protect against sexual transmission of Zika from eight weeks to six months.
The Zika virus normally causes a mild illness, but only one in five people show symptoms. The virus is linked to a birth defect called microcephaly that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.
The goal behind the new guidelines is to “minimize the risk of sexual transmission around the time of conception and prevent possible early fetal exposure to the Zika virus,” the CDC said.
The new guidance comes as health officials continue to be flummoxed over how long the Zika virus lasts in semen.
Health officials have found 30 cases of sexual transmission in the U.S. as of Sept. 28, according to the CDC.
CDC continues to say that women with possible Zika exposure who don’t live in areas of active transmission but are thinking about becoming pregnant should wait about eight weeks before trying to conceive.
More than 100 cases of local transmission have been found in the U.S., likely stemming from mosquito bites that are the primary mode of transmission. Almost all of the cases are in Florida, primarily in the Miami area.
