Question
How can my partner test HIV positive and I test HIV negative?
16 January 2018. Related: All topics, HIV testing, HIV transmission, Newly diagnosed, Sero different couples.
I went to test HIV with my partner.
I found out that she is positive and I was negative. After six months i went back I tested negative.
Please help as I don’t understand.
Answer
Thanks for your question as your situation is very common.
Has your partner’s positive HIV test been checked by a second test in a lab. All rapid tests, need a positive result to be confirmed. This is because of the small chance of a false-positive result.
If the second test (called “western blot”) is positive then your partner is definitely positive. In this case, how is your partner doing and does she have support?
Even if your partner is HIV positive, it is common for one person in a couple to test positive and the other negative. This can happen even if they have bot been using condoms. This is mostly just luck. Over time, most people will catch HIV if they continue to have sex without a condom.
Even though you have not caught HIV so far, you can still catch HIV in the future. Genetics may explain some cases of protection, but most are just down to luck and chance.
Now you know your partners HIV status, you can still stay together and have sex safely. Condoms or PrEP are both really effective at stopping HIV and not sharing needles.
Also, after your partner gets an undetectable viral load on treatment, the risk drops to zero – even without condoms. The PARTNER study reported no transmission with an undetectable viral load. this was after about 900 couple had sex 58,000 without condoms (over several years).
Note: This answer was updated in January 2018 and October 2014 from a question from June 2011. i-Base no longer answers individual questions about HIV transmission and risk. (See: Question 1, 5, 6 and 9 at this link).
Hi Ababa,
It sounds like your first test was a false positive, this can and does happen. For more on testing please see Q1 here:
August last year 2016 I had sex with a girl I don know her hiv history with protection, but along the line her fluids from her vagina entered an open wound I had at my finger then. After one month I was a bit sick and I went to hospital for test, the test came with doctor telling me I have a little virus in my blood and I was given antibiotics and some infusions. I went back after one week because I was curious and did hiv screening, the first rapid test came out positive with alere and it was retested with another company product (in plastic) and it came out negative, after about twenty minutes the first company (alere) was used also it came out negative also. I was told to go and do general test in a government hospital which I did and the whole test came out negative also, but the doctor advised me to stop eating red meat and some other things because I was adding up weight and I should start daily exercise. Out of curiosity also one month after the first test which is about two months post exposure I bought home kit and did another test it came out negative. I later went back to the hospital after three months of first test which was four months post esposure and the rapid test came out negative also. I have not really had any hiv symptoms except dry throat that has lasted for close to six months now and muscle pains and joint pains that started two weeks ago, although I’m thinking it might be typhoid signs which I’m on medication now. Although I’m still worried but I need advice. …The summary is since four months post exposure, I have done six rapid tests and the first one was positive and the other five came out negative.
I’m writing from Mozambique
Hi Sipho,
Yes its very possible. Please see question 5 here:
https://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
I found out 5 months ago that my girlfriend is positive. I’ve tested 3 times and its been negative. Is that possible?
Hi Solly,
If your partner is on ARVs and has an undetectable viral load then the risk of transmission is close to zero. This may explain why you haven’t contracted HIV. For more info, please see here:
https://i-base.info/qa-on-the-partner-study/
If they aren’t on meds, please see Q 5 here:
https://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
I don’t understand, I’ve been having unprotected sex for over a year now with a partner that is HIV positive. I’ve tested for more than nine months ,my status is still negative. I have even sent my blood to the lab. How is that possible? I’m afraid that maybe I’m not getting the true results.
Hi Jimmallow,
If your partner isn’t on treatment and has a detectable viral load, then you’re at risk of contracting HIV. So far, you’ve been lucky.
I have been having unprotected sex with my partner for the past 6 months and she tested positive and I tested negative. What are the chances that I might be at risk??
Hi Sandra,
For me to be able to help you, I’ll need some more info.
When you were pregnant were you on medication? If you were, when did you start? And did you continue after you gave birth? Did you have a natural birth or a C-section? Did you breastfeed or bottle feed your baby? What was your viral load?
With regards to your partner being negative, this is very possible. Please see quesiton 5 here:
https://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
Because he’s negative, this would indicate that you were infected before you entered into a relationship with him.
Can you explain to me. My partner is HIV negative, I’m HIV positive. Our baby is HIV positive, how did that happened?