Question
Can I get married if I am HIV positive?
14 January 2008. Related: All topics, Living with HIV long-term, Newly diagnosed.
Hi. Can I marry if I am HIV positive? I am only 28 male, and just diagnosed. How long I can live if I start HAART in future? Do you also think there will be more treatement options in future? Thank you
Answer
Yes, most countries have no legal obstacles against marriage, though many countries do have laws that saw you need to tell your partner about your HIV status. There are some countries where discrimination limits human rights, so it also depends where you live.
Many HIV positive men get married – to partners who are either HIV positive or HIV negative. If their partner is HIV-negative it is still possible to have children
Hi Leebaby,
There are many couples in a similar situation, where one person is positive and the other negative.
But is your husband on HIV treatment (called ART)? If he is, and if his viral load is undetectable then the risk of HIV to you is zero.
Please see this link to Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).
Am HIV negative and I have being sleeping with my husband to be date has been fix before I discover he is HIV positive. Can I still go on
Hi Gee,
Thanks for this comment. But please see Simon’s answer on this Q&A. He says, Even though lots of people ask this, there is no easy answer to your question.
Unless you tell someone right at the start, it is common for a relationship to become more serious and then finding the right way becomes more difficult.
It might help to talk about HIV generally at some point – so you can work out your partners views and whether they are informed and up-to-date or out-of-date and prejudiced.
Please see this link to more Q&As about disclosure.
Good luck Gee.
Jay, your case is exactly mine. It’s terrible wwhen you fall in love with the right person and you start thinking of how to disclose your status and fear of rejection. I think I need a positive partner too to marry to avoid stigma.
Hi Ali,
Please see this Q&A about websites to meet other HIV positive people.
The community forums at poz.com include a personals section that has free registration and many thousands of international users (including from the UK).
This might be a good place to start looking for your partner.
Iam Kenyan ,HIV positive,lam interested to get married by this lady age 34yrs name j,lam really serious,thank you.
Hi Vihaan,
A western blot test sounds like a good idea.
All positive results need to be confirmed by a second, more sensitive antibody test called western blot. The western blot test takes longer (usually a week or so) and is the most accurate at identifying genuine positive results. When it is used to confirm a positive result the western blot test is 100% accurate.
Please see more at this Q&A.
I got Elisa test done and result was reaction (17.25) then on the same day since I was not convinced with the report I went to one more place and got HIV(Chemiluminescence) test done over there also the result was reactive….
Read in google that the Elisa test results will show false positive due to similar kind of disease Lyme disease, Lupus and etc…
Doctor has suggested me to go with Western blot test, if Elisa result is false positive due to above mentioned reason, will wester blot test help me to get confirmation that I have HIV or lupus.
Hi Jay,
Lots of positive people are in relationships with negative people and HIV isn’t an issue. It just sounds like you’ve met the wrong people, which can happen as there is still a lot of stigma against positive people.
Hi everyone, I am a 34 year old lady. I am HIV positive and I would really love to get married but every man I tell about my status ends up rejecting me. Must HIV people only marry HIV positive people