Question
Can we have unprotected sex if we have the same strain of HIV?
30 July 2010. Related: All topics, Resistance.
Hi,
I was infected by my (long-term) partner few months ago (we both have good CD4 results and without treatment). We are together for many years and for many years have been practicing unsafe sex together.
As a lot of recommendations say that two HIV-positive people should use condoms to prevent superinfection by a stronger type of virus. I completely understand it in situations when I would like to have an unprotected sex with other unknown positive person. But in our case, when we have both the same subtype of virus, is there a real risk of superinfection and a negative impact on our state if we practice unsafe sex?
It’s a strange feeling after years start using condom between us (or course, with other people we use it every time from when we were diagnosed).
Thank you very much.
Answer
Hello,
Thank you for your question.
If you are infected with the same strain and neither of you has any resistance to HIV treatments then there should be no problem with you continuing to have sex without using condoms.
The main risk from superinfection/reinfection is if one person has resistance to some HIV treatments or a different type of HIV. This sound like it is not the case for you and your partner. You can check your level of resistance to HIV treatment with a simple test. A resistance test is routinely recommend for all newly diagnosed people in the UK. Please talk to your HIV doctor about this.
Hello Ohad and thanks for getting in touch.
What do you mean when you say “different type of HIV”?
As a general principle when someone is undetectable they cannot pass on HIV to their sexual partners
That is called U=U (undetectable = untransmisable)
https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
So, as long as you are both undetectable then you are both protected.
Please clarify if you need more information.
Hi, if someone have a different type of HIV from yours but on medication and both of you the viral load is good, please is there any problem there? Mean can you get reinfection from the partner despite both of you been on medication but because it’s a different type from your own?
Hello Journ and thanks for the question.
It’s great you want to know more about sexual health and your risk.
Please see here for more information:
https://i-base.info/qa/11844
Hello, I had sex with a lady who is living with HIV and not on medication. Can it be passed on? We have sex one week.