Question
Is my partner at risk if viral load is undetectable without ART?
28 July 2016. Related: All topics, HIV transmission.
If I am not on treatment and my viral load is undetectable, what are the chances of infecting my partner?
Answer
Hi
A few people are lucky enough to have an undetectable viral load without using HIV treatment (ART).
Unfortunately, this is so rare that there would never be enough people to study whether this is different to people with undetectable viral load on ART.
The results from the PARTNER study might be just as appropriate though. This study reported no transmissions after couples had sex more than 58,000 without condoms.
The longer your viral load has been undetectable, the more confident you can be. The main cautions would be that if viral load does increase, you might become infectious without realising it.
If you are having sex without condoms, this might be a reason to monitor viral load more frequently.