Question
My girlfriend has just found out she has HIV, could I also be positive?
8 December 2010. Related: All topics, HIV transmission, Newly diagnosed, Sero different couples.
I have been with my new girlfriend for 3 months now. For the first month we were using condoms. From the second month we had regular unprotected sex. Two days ago (on the 1st December). My girl friend’s HIV test results came back positive. My results came back negative. I am very scared that I might have contracted the virus and that my next test will be positive.
When is a HIV positive person infectious? What are the possibilities that I will still test HIV negative after three months? Is there any preventive treatment that I can take to prevent the possibility of becoming HIV positive after being exposed to the virus for more then a month?
Answer
Thank you for your question.
I am sorry to hear about your girlfriend’s diagnosis. I understand that this is a very worrying time for both of you. The most important thing to focus on now is how you can best support your girlfriend to come to terms with finding out she has HIV. For more information regarding a new diagnosis and the next steps, you and your girlfriend may want to follow this link.
As far as your own HIV status is concerned, unfortunately there is no way of knowing what your next test results will show. HIV positive people are most infectious when they are first infected and when they are not on HIV treatment. However, not every time you have unprotected sex with a positive person will you become HIV positive yourself and so it is possible that if your first test was negative that your second test could also be negative. The only thing you can do is wait and see what the result it. For more information on transmission and testing please follow this link.
If it is a month since your last exposure then there is nothing you can take to prevent an infection. There is something called Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) which can be taken upto 72 hours after an exposure but the earlier it is taken the better. After 72 hours then it will not be effective. For more information on PEP please follow this link.
If you or your girlfriend require any further support during this difficult time then please call our phoneline on 0808 800 6013 Mon-Wed 12-4pm.
I had unprotected sex with a girl who’s HIV positive 12 days back. Is there anything I can use to prevent the infection?
Hi Ziyawa,
Please see Q’s 1 and 9 here:
http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
Hi I have a girlfriend who is HiV positive and has been on treatment since 2012. Last year December she did her test and had a viral load of 51. We recetly we haved not been using protection and Im worried that she could infect me as im have swollen lymph on armpits, arching muscles and head ache. Could it be that im seroconverting??
Hi Teboho,
If you had sex with your girlfriend before she was on meds, then you will need to test. Testing is the only way of knowing if you have HIV. If she was already on meds when you started having sex and her viral load was undetectable, then the risk of transmission are close to zero. Please see the PARTNER study for more info:
http://i-base.info/htb/30108
my girlfriend is HIV+ since 2015 but shedidn’t tell me. I’ve now found out. she is taking treatment and since we have i ddnt use condom. Am I at risk, I’m scared to test.
Hi Themba, it is good you are negative. If this is the first time you have tested for HIV or the first time you have had to think about HIV, then it might be a good time to find out as much as you can. Your girlfriend could help you if you are open to talking and learning. It sounds like while you do this then using condoms will stop you worrying. If your girlfriends is on treatment then this will have dramatically reduced any risk of transmission. This link might also be interesting for you:
http://i-base.info/qa-on-the-partner-study
Hi my name is themba i find out last week my girlfriend she is HIV positive and i did go for HIV test yesterday my results came back negative and she is on treatment she did not tell me she HIV positive so i want to know what can i do because the results came back negative
Hi Emmy,
There are a lot of couples where one person has HIV and the other doesn’t. This is called a ‘sero-discordant couple’. Your chances of getting infected are dependent on how well your girlfriend’s treatment is working. If her treatment is working very well she will have an ‘undetectable viral load’. This is a test of how much virus is in her body. Her doctor should be able to tell her this but viral load tests aren’t available in every country. If your girlfriend has an undetectable viral load you shouldn’t be at risk. But if you don’t know her viral load the best way to protect yourself is to use condoms when you have sex. Please take a look at this link for more information about sexual transmission.
Please, I have this problem: my girl has HIV I don’t know for how long but we have been together for over a year. She is on treatment we have been having sex without condoms and I went for test it was negative 6 weeks ago please what are my chances of not getting HIV?. Please help me.
I don’t know if my girlfriend is HIV positive or negative and we have been having unprotected sex for about 8 months now. Can I have caught HIV from her? When I asked her about her HIV status she said that she had a test last year in November 2009 and it was negative. Please help me. After 8 months of our dating I am feeling flu-like but it is flu session here as it is winter and a lot of people are feeling like that. I never had symptoms like HIV so what is it?