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).
My wife is six weeks pregnant and had tested positive for HIV on 20th June but she is not showing any sign or symptoms of HIV. I am having diarrhoea weekness and fever so I decided to go for testing on 28 of June but I tested negative. Please am I likely to still be negative after three months?
Hi Zama,
I’m sorry it sounds like it’s a tough time at the moment. But you can have another test to confirm the positive result.
Of course it’s not surprising that you are worried about your baby’s health. But you can talk to the doctor about your worries for the baby before getting the results to confirm the test. Many couples have had HIV negative babies when one partner is positive and the other is negative.
And with new HIV medicine many positive mothers now have HIV negative babies by starting treatment. HIV drugs are safe and effective for pregnant women, and they reduce the risk of a baby becoming HIV positive to almost zero.
I’m 13 weeks pregnant and have had one male partner for 6 years. Last month he tested negative on the 17th of May but when we went together to test on 20 June 2016 he tested positive? We are now waiting for the lab results to come on friday, while I’m going out of my mind. Is it possible the test was wrong? He swears he has never cheated in these 6 years and I know I have never cheated on him. I am now worried sick about my baby’s health because we have had unprotected sex a lot. Is it possible the lab results will discover there was an error.
Hi Albert, As it says above: This is mostly just luck. Over time, most people will catch HIV if they continue to have sex without a condom.
You can find out more about transmission and testing at this FAQ.
Im actually in the same page. I tested negative 2 days ago but I found out that my ex was positive since the day we started our relationship. We had sex for more than a year with our condoms. I did not know that he was positive because every time to took the test was negative. And I was scare about the fact that I may have the virus I started a new relation ship and I use condoms just to be safe but I tested negative again 2 days ago. If I was having sex for more than a year with my ex parter HIV positive why I don’t have the virus .!! May be I’m one of the lucky ones or why my body didn’t catch it ??? I think is a weird situation anyway true story !! That why I keep looking on line for answears .!!
Hi, I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It can be difficult to cope with a positive result at any time, but especially when you find out you’re pregnant.
It’s important that you talk to your doctor about your health and your baby’s health. It’s good that your partner is supporting you but you can ask the clinic for their support too to make sure your baby is born HIV negative.
Do you have access to this support?
If you live in South Africa you can contact the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). This is the largest HIV positive support organisation in South Africa and they were responsible for the drive to get HIV treatment (ARVs) available in SA.
The main office is in Cape Town, but there are support groups and branches across the country, including in Jo’burg.
http://www.tac.org.za/contact
You can find out more about HIV, women’s health and pregnancy from this i-Base guide:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
Hi, In 2014 I tested HIV negative, and again last year I was negative. Right now I just found that I’m 4 months pregnant and I tested positive, I told my partner and he told me that he is negative. But he will continue having unprotected sex with me because he loves me and asks me not to tell parents, it must stay between us and he will support me. So I’m confused that he is not telling the truth about his status. I’m waiting for him so that we can go together and test. I’m confused.
HIV is not easy to catch, so it could be that your partner has just been lucky.
If you’ve tested HIV positive it’s important that you talk to your doctor about starting treatment. Starting treatment – and getting HIV to undetectable – can protect your partner from HIV. But it’s recommended that you still use condoms, especially if you’re not on treatment yet.
We no longer answer questions about transmission and testing.
Most questions about transmission and testing have been answered here:
https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Hi. I tested positive last week then this week my partner tested negative. We have been having unprotected sex for more than a year now, so is the HIV test done at clinics really accurate?
Hi, Many people who are HIV positive have HIV negative partners.
Using condoms when you have sex can protect him from HIV. Are you on HIV treatment (ART)? If you are, and your viral load is undetectable (which is less than 50), you can be more or less not infectious.
You can find out more about ART in the i-Base guide to treatment:
http://i-base.info/guides/starting