Question
Why am I still HIV negative when my partner is HIV positive?
9 June 2022. Related: All topics, HIV transmission, Newly diagnosed, Pregnancy, PrEP, Starting treatment.
Hello, my girlfriend is 5 months pregnant and has just tested positive with HIV, I then bought HIV test kits and to my dismay, I tested negative on 2 occasions. She insists on having unprotected sex with me and it’s almost less than 36 hrs that we had sex(unprotected).
Why did I test negative and what are the possibilities of me being positive and the solution to that…? Stressed.
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
Congratulations on your wife’s pregnancy. I am sorry to hear that she has only recently found out about her status. Has she started treatment?
Transmission of HIV is not always definite. There are many factors that change the risk of transmission. These are explained here.
There are other options if both you and your wife are not comfortable using condoms. If your wife is on treatment and her viral load is suppressed below 200 she would be unable to pass on HIV. This is explained by U=U.
If she is not on treatment or her viral load is not suppressed you can use a medication called PrEP. This is medication you can take daily, or when you want to have sex and it prevents transmission of HIV.
Have you discussed between you about the reasons you may/may not want to use a condom?
Josh.