Question
We are both positive and had unprotected sex – what are the risks?
27 June 2014. Related: All topics, HIV reinfection (superinfection).
My partner has been on treatment for almost a year and I am also HIV positive but not on treatment. We ran out of condoms and we had unprotected sex. What are the risks involved and what can we do to minimise the risks?
Answer
When both partners are HIV positive the main reasons to continue using condoms are to protect against other STIs or pregnancy. The risk of reinfection is low and is only a worry if one partner has drug resistance. The risk of reinfection is likely to be as low as the original risk of HIV infection itself.
The lower your and your partner’s viral loads are the less likely reinfection is to take place. The risk if it does take place has to do with any resistances you or your partner may have. This resistance can be transmitted. If neither of you have any resistances, or if you have the same ones, then there is unlikely to be any risk to having unprotected sex with each other.
If you and your partner have never been tested for resistance you can ask for this at your clinic.
For many HIV positive people, the positive benefit of being able to have sex without a condom outweighs the generally very low risk of resistance. So long as you are not worried about pregnancy or other infections, or one of you has a detectable viral load on treatment, the risk from not using a condom is generally low. This has to be both your choice though
You can find information about reinfection in out testing and transmission guide.
Hello Lydia and thanks for getting in touch.
You are discussing a number of issues here.
First of all: how are you managing your diagnosis?
I am sending you a link so you can have some more information that are important to people who just found out they are living with HIV.
https://i-base.info/just-found-out/
Second: People living with HIV on effective treatment (which means undetectable viral load) cannot pass HIV to their sexual partners.
This is called U=U and you can read more about it here:
https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
Adherence to medication: is very important as it ensures people can have a full and active life.
Also, when someone is undetectable, they cannot pass on HIV to their sexual partners.
You can read more about it here:
https://i-base.info/guides/starting/adherence
https://i-base.info/guides/starting/adherence-tips
Therefore, well done to you for taking your medication!
It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.
You could discuss those benefits with your partner too to ensure he understands
It’s also important if any of you have side effects from the treatment or other symptoms to discuss them with your doctor.
Your doctor can help by running tests and prescribing appropriate medication that can help you.
This includes the symptoms you have after sex.
It’s important you discuss those with your doctor to receive appropriate help.
Finally, when we are having sex we are all responsible for ensuring we are safe.
HIV prevention is the responsibility of both partners engaging in sexual activity.
What I would like to also highlight here: every relationship is different and things that work for one couple might not be appropriate for another.
As long as you are happy in your relationship, it’s ok to be as open or as exclusive as you want it to be.
I am hoping you have a network of people who can support you though if that is not the case.
Please feel free to stay in touch if you want to discuss this more.
questions@i-base.org.uk
Both, my partner I are living with HIV. We are 5 months now of taking our medication and we are having unprotected sex. My partner sometimes miss doses because he likes going out drinking beer and occasionally has sex with other women.
My question is this going to affect me while l never miss my doses also when we have sex my stomach hurts and the next day l will be feeling very weak and now lm having problem of dizziness but as for him he is having night sweats but he looks fine
Please help me what could be the problem and also can he pass on HIV to other sexual partners?
Hello John and thanks for getting in touch.
The only way to know if someone is living with HIV is to get tested.
Please consider attending a sexual health clinic to get your tests.
https://i-base.info/qa/11844
Can someone have hiv more than 20 years without knowing until he have facial paralysis and symptoms started showing
Getting symptoms like constipation, loss in facial weight, stomach cramping and the rest?
Can he start taking hiv drugs now?
Assuming children were born during the period what are we going to do?
Hi Sandisele, I have a few questions:
What is yours and your partners viral loads?
Are you on the same medication?
Do you know if you both became HIV positive from the same place?
My partner and I are both hiv positive since 2020,we started taking our meds same year 2020,we r not using condoms.is it wrong to do it without condom?
Hi Mac,
As you’ve both got the same strain of HIV, there is no worry about reinfection. If you’ve been on meds for 2 months it’s very likely that your viral loads are already low.
If one of you does develop drug resistance then this could be transmitted to the other partner. If you are both good at taking meds and not missing doses, drug resistance is very unlikely to be a problem.
Hi everyone i have one queation.
Me and my partner are both hiv postive and its same because one of us got infected Hiv and pass to another one so it is same hiv ! We are both on treatment less than two months and i still we have viral loads and not sitll undetectable! So we ran out of condome and having sex with other unprotected once so the question is we had risk or not !!! I couldn’t sleep throught last night and i am worry if there is a problem or not!
Hi Tuyo,
The two main risks from not using a condom are pregnancy and other STIs.
If these are not a concern for you, then there is no risk. This is mainly because having an undetectable viral load on treatment makes you so dramatically less infectious that HIV transmission becomes zero risk.
Please see this updated Q&A.
Me and my girlfriend has been having unprotected sex for the past 3minths now. Our both viral loads are less than 20 which I think it’s cool as undetectable.
My question is… Can either of us have reinfection? Because we are both less than 20 viral load.
Also, is it possible reinfection occurs in any case since we are still on our Meds?