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).
Hi,
HIV in pregnancy can only be transmitted from the mother. This means if you are negative you baby will be negative. It is important to use a condom while having sex when pregnant. This is because the risk of HIV transmission is higher for pregnant women.
I am a woman. If my patner is HIV positive and I tested negative would the baby affected?
It is common for one partner in a relationship to be positive and the other to be negative.
You can have a look at the answer above for information about why that is.
My partner is HIV positive and I’m negative , what causes this as we’ve been together for 2 years and having unprotected sex . Please help!
The only way to infect someone with HIV is to have HIV yourself. Because you are HIV negative you did not infect your wife.
It is common for one partner in a relationship to test positive and the other negative. You can find more information about this in the answer above. You can also find more information here:
http://i-base.info/guides/testing/how-can-my-partner-test-positive-and-i-test-negative
Can i be negative, and have infected my wife who was recently dignosed positive?
Hi,
It is common for one person in a couple to be positive and one to be negative. This can happen even if you are having unprotected sex.
This is usually down to luck. HIV is not transmitted every time someone that is negative has sex with someone that is positive.
Even though you have not yet become positive you still can. However because you know your partner is positive you can still have safe sex. If your partner has an undetectable viral load, and has done for a few months, the risk of transmission taking place in dramatically reduced. If his viral load is not undetectable you can also use condoms to protect yourself.
I want to know how you can be married to someone that is HIV positive and not contract it?
Hi Grace,
A viral load tells you have much virus you have in your bloodstream.
Many couples where one person is positive and the other is not now have HIV negative babies. The answer to your question about how to have a bay depends on your viral load. If you viral load is undetectable, and has been for a few months the risk of transmission taking place during unprotected sex is extremely low. Because of this many couples now conceive naturally.
The other option is artificial insemination. There are way to do this either at home or at a clinic.
You can find more information about HIV and conceiving as well as artificial insemination here:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy/woman-hiv-positive
My husband and i would love to have kids, our problem is i am HIV and he is negative. I want him to stay negative because i want him to live for our unborn baby and take care of me when i am sick. Please tell us methods we can use to have a baby and what is viral load?