Q and A

Question

I’m on medication, can I transmit HIV to my partner?

I’ve been on medication for 4 years. I’ve been having sex without a condom with my negative partner, are they at risk?

Answer

Thanks for getting in touch.

As long as your viral load is undetectable, which it should be because you’ve been on medication for more than 3 months, then no you can’t transmit HIV. Please see here: https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/

6 comments

  1. Roy Trevelion

    Hi Ime,

    Please see this link.

  2. Ime

    How long you will get tested for hiv2? And what is the window period of it? It is diff from hiv 1?

  3. Roy Trevelion

    Hi Eze,

    What HIV treatment (ART) are you taking? Some ART drugs are good at getting your viral load down to undetectable very quickly. And once you’re undetectable you can start to try for a baby. But you need to be sure your viral load will stay that way. It’s called being ‘stable’ on ART

    Although guidelines on this link to U=U recommend having an undetectable viral load for six months before relying on 100% protection from U=U, this is a very cautious approach.

    But some doctors already think that waiting for a month once you’re undetectable might be fine. That’s until guidelines are reviewed and hopefully updated. Please see this Q&A for full info on your question.

    So it’s a good idea to ask the clinic to test your viral load as often as possible to see how well your treatment is going.

  4. Eze

    I was diagnosed late October 2018 and have been on drugs since November 2018. At what month do I need to make baby with my new wife without transmitting d virus to her pls?

  5. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Ed,

    Its not really possible to say why your partner is behaving in the way that they are. Like you said you’re undetectable so there really shouldn’t be any issue. Some people get it, some don’t. If your partner can’t get their head around your status, you may need to reassess the relationship. You deserve to be with someone who can accept your status, and accept you for who you are. If you’re with someone and they make you feel bad about yourself then the Q to ask is, are they worth it?

  6. ed

    I was diagnosed with HIV April 2018 and couldn’t really figure out why my partner wasn’t touching me well come to find out he is afraid of contacting the virus even though I’m undetectable talk about being hurt over this. I guess I’m asking is this normal or a relationship that’s going to fail.

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