Question
My viral load is 20, is this OK?
24 February 2017. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
Been on Atripla for 6 years now ,
went for my regular test ,got my results today and CD4 is on 900 but VL is less than 20 copies am very worried as it is usually undetectable.
what can i do to make sure it gets undetectable again?
Answer
Thanks for getting a touch.
The classification for an undetectable viral load is less than 50 copies. Therefore, you are still undetectable because your viral load is less than this. You’re doing well, and have nothing to worry about.
My viral load 53 can I have unprotected sex, I just got married and my new wife is negative… please give me your feedback.
Hi Eli,
Your HIV is under control, this is fantastic news. No you cannot transmit HIV when having sex without a condom. Please see here: http://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
Please help me out here, I just got results this week after it was my first time to draw blood test since I started med from 2016, and I was told that my vl is 20copies/ml so I want to know what does this mean as it wasn’t clearly explained to me and whether I am still at risk of passing HIV to my partner in case condom is accidentally torn?
Hi William,
If your partner has had just one viral load test in the last 3 months this could be just a blip.
A blip is when viral load goes above 50 copies/mL for a short time and then drops back down. Blips can be defined as an increase from less than 50 copies/mL to above 200, 500 or even 1000 copies/mL.
Blips can be caused by other infections, such as flu or herpes, or a recent vaccination. Some blips are just lab errors.
But your partner can ask for another viral load test to confirm this result.
However, here’s a guide to what to do if viral load rebounds.
My partner is being treated with Triumeq and was undetectable for years but for the past 3 months has generated a viral count of 290. Is this something to worry about? What are the possible course of action?
Many thanks
Hi Ash,
What ARVs are you taking? It’s usual for people who are HIV positive to have other blood tests done at the same time as the test for viral load. These tests check out various things, such as kidney and liver function, and blood fats and cholesterol. This might be the reason they took three tubes.
I asked my obstetrician to give me a viral load test, and he did. They collected three tubes of blood with lavender tops on them. Why did they use three tubes of blood? Did they test for something else when they tested for a viral load?
Thank you, I’m glad it was useful information.
Thank you Roy
Hi Sophie,
I’m not sure what you mean by growing area but this doesn’t sound like a problem at all. A VL of 69 is only slightly above undetectable at 50 copies/mL. But the Partner study cut off for undetectable was having a VL under 200 copies/mL. Please see the evidence for U=U here.