Question
Why am I HIV negative if my boyfriend is HIV positive?
29 January 2018. Related: All topics, HIV transmission, Sero different couples.
My partner and I recently went for an HIV test and my results came negative while his came positive. This is very strange because in the 2 years that we have been together, we hardly ever use a condom?
How does this come about? are there other cases like mine? is this possible?
Answer
Hi, how are you doing? and how is your partner?
Your situation is very common and you have just been lucky. The risk of catching HIV is usually quite low, even if you don’t always use condoms. It also related to many things, including your partners viral load (ie how infections he or she is).
The risk is highest in the first few months after infection (1 in 10 or higher). After the first year when viral load is lower, this might only be 1 in 500.
Depending on the type of sex you have, and how often, with these number you see how it could just be luck. You could still catch HIV the next time you are at risk. You should also have another HIV test in 3 months, to check that you were not infected in the few months prior to your original test.
A small percentage of people (less than 1% in the UK), have genetic protection against HIV infection. There are no commercial tests that are able to check this.
While many people think (or hope) they have this protection, and that they will be lucky and not catch HIV if they don’t use a condom, in reality they are usually wrong. This is why numbers of new infections are still increasing each year.
Your partners diagnosis sounds like it was a shock for both of you. Take time to find good resources and support, both for your partner and yourself while you come to terms with what has happened. This affects people in all sorts of ways, but with good treatment and care, your partner can expect to lead a long life.
Also, once your partner has undetectable viral load in ART, they are no longer able to transmit HIV.
For more information on monitoring and treatment see the i-Base Introduction to ART. Please also tell your partner that i-Base run a free treatment phoneline if he would like to talk directly about his care.
This answer was updated in January 2018 from a question posted in October 2007.
I’m sorry but i-Base no longer answers individual questions about risks of HIV transmission or HIV testing, although because you used a condom you would not be at risk of HIV.
This service is based on information relating to treatment of people who are HIV positive.
Most testing questions are already answered on the FAQ page:
http://i-base.info/qa/faq/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Our guide to HIV Testing and risks of sexual transmission guide has more detailed and easy to read information about these topics. It can be read online at this link:
http://i-base.info/guides/testing
Hi, I’ve had unprotected vaginal sex with an HIV infected guy once. However he didn’t ejaculated in me. What are my chances of becoming infected? Its been seven months now and I’m deeply worried, depressed and scared to go for an HIV test.
My advice is that is that you have no right to pressurise another person to take an HIV test just because your are worried about your own health.
Your partners HIV status is none of your business.
When you get you head together you should apologise to her for your behaviour.
Hul i had unprotected sex with a girll on 26/04/2012 for the first time and after the act i tried to convience her to go for testing, she was abit resistant then i was scared, finally i sweet talked her and went to the clinic for testing only to findout that she was positive and she was on treatment. Am really scared i have failed to sleep since then, when soon can i go for testing? And to make matters worse she informed me in two weeks after that she was pregnant and also needs more than before. Please advise me other wise stress is killing me.
Thank you in advance.
Hi Tony
The volume of personal questions we get about testing and transmission clearly shows the demand for this service, so I don’t disagree with your main point.
As far as we can we have tried to answer questions when it is clear someone is distressed or where something specific that is not answered in the resources comes up. Probably 90% of the transmission question have been answered personally and not online for the last 6 months and we get hundreds of questions every month.
i-Base is an activist project to empower people with accurate information that helps them make their own health decisions. In producing the testing and transmission guide I think we have done this pretty comprehensively compared to most resources that are available online. If you have examples of missing information and subjects we have missed please let us know – these are changing resources and we’ll add this information online.
This service is run by a few people and is only a part of what we do. The main focus has always been on HIV treatment and it’s complications.
While the concern and worry about the risk of HIV and testing is clearly still traumatic – even though the treatment advances should dramatically change this – there are many organisations that are set up to specialise in HIV prevention, including STI and GUM services which we always recommend as anyone’s first reference.
Your feedback is important though and we are always reviewing services and projects in response to comments.
It is unfortunate that you no longer answer questions regarding HIV.
Not all of the answers for the questions asked are availabe in the link/ FAQ section. Sometimes people need a more personable a answer, where an a actual person is replying.
I’m sorry that i-base no longer answer individual questions about the risks of HIV transmission or HIV testing.
This is because information on both these subjects are now online in two resources:
Your questions are already answered on the FAQ page:
http://i-base.info/qa/faq/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Also this detailed and easy to read guide:
http://i-base.info/guides/testing
I have a lot of questions I’ve been with my boyfriend for a year and he is HIV positive and I’m not but we have had unprotected sex before many times but he is taking medication for it and they can hardly find the infection in his blood anymore how high are my chances of contracting HIV from him? I don’t want to ask him to ask his doctor because I don’t want to make him feel bad can anyone help?
I’m sorry, i-Base no longer answers individual questions about the risks of HIV transmission or HIV testing.
This is because information on both these subjects are now online in two resources:
Your questions are already answered on the FAQ page:
http://i-base.info/qa/faq/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Also this detailed and easy to read guide:
http://i-base.info/guides/testing
I am married and my husband was tested HIV positive in 2008 before we got married.
We consistently used condoms. In December 2010 we had unprotected sex and I got pregnant. I went for HIV test after 2 months and tested negative and after 5 month. When i got my child i was HIV negative and now in 2012 I did the test and I am still negative. What causes this? Although I know God is the protector but there are questions I need to ask.