Question
How can my partner test HIV positive and I test HIV negative?
16 January 2018. Related: All topics, HIV testing, HIV transmission, Newly diagnosed, Sero different couples.
I went to test HIV with my partner.
I found out that she is positive and I was negative. After six months i went back I tested negative.
Please help as I don’t understand.
Answer
Thanks for your question as your situation is very common.
Has your partner’s positive HIV test been checked by a second test in a lab. All rapid tests, need a positive result to be confirmed. This is because of the small chance of a false-positive result.
If the second test (called “western blot”) is positive then your partner is definitely positive. In this case, how is your partner doing and does she have support?
Even if your partner is HIV positive, it is common for one person in a couple to test positive and the other negative. This can happen even if they have bot been using condoms. This is mostly just luck. Over time, most people will catch HIV if they continue to have sex without a condom.
Even though you have not caught HIV so far, you can still catch HIV in the future. Genetics may explain some cases of protection, but most are just down to luck and chance.
Now you know your partners HIV status, you can still stay together and have sex safely. Condoms or PrEP are both really effective at stopping HIV and not sharing needles.
Also, after your partner gets an undetectable viral load on treatment, the risk drops to zero – even without condoms. The PARTNER study reported no transmission with an undetectable viral load. this was after about 900 couple had sex 58,000 without condoms (over several years).
Note: This answer was updated in January 2018 and October 2014 from a question from June 2011. i-Base no longer answers individual questions about HIV transmission and risk. (See: Question 1, 5, 6 and 9 at this link).
How can my husband be HIV negative & I am HIV positive when were having unprotected sex 2 years and he was advice by councellers to leave me because he is negative..
Hi,
By using condoms you are preventing risk of transmission. HIV treatment also prevents transmission. If you start treatment it will protect your wife. There is close to zero risk of transmission if you have had an undetectable viral load for a few months. In the meantime if you feel that condoms are not enough your wife can take PrEP. This is a HIV pill that HIV negative people take to prevent transmission.
There are many many couples like yours, with one positive and one negative partner.
You can find information about PrEP here:
http://i-base.info/pep-and-prep/
And information about starting HIV treatment here:
http://i-base.info/starting
Ive been newly diagnosed. I am Poz and my wife is neg.
I believe i was infected about 10 years ago in thailand. I am so worried about infecting my wife that i have decided we can never risk sex again. we are both early 40s. she isnt happy about this. I foresee it being the end of us.
But just the mere thought of infecting her breaks my heart.
I know all sites say. if your careful it “should” be ok. the “risk is minimal”.
But to me, the slightest risk isnt worth the risk.
Being HIV positive shouldn’t change anything about your life, other than needing to be carfeul with partners and usual issues related to any medical treatment.
Lots of HIV positive people have partners who are negative and who stay negative.
If you viral load is undetectable on ART then your patner will not catch HIV and you can also have children if this is part of your plans.
The stigma around HIV is still difficult – and this makes discussions with your partner more complicated.
Good luck with your plans.
I am hiv positive and on medication, can i get married to a negative man
I’m negative and my partner is positive. We have been married for five years without using protection even now im still negative.
Hi,
Yes they can. You can find more information here:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
Can a positive person who is on a treatment inpragnate a negative person without transmitting the virus?
Hi Entle,
it is common for one partner in a relationship to test positive and for one to test negative. You can find more information by reading the answer above.
We were having unprotected sex even while i am menstruating and i tested positive and i was sick but he testestd negative is is posible?