Q and A

Question

How can my partner test HIV positive and I test HIV negative?

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).

335 comments

  1. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Gloria,

    No, this isn’t possible.

  2. gloria

    Is it true that one can take some tablets before a HIV test and she /he tests negative when positive?

  3. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Lackson,

    Your question has been answered in the above post.

  4. lackson

    My wife is positive, and I’m negative. We’ve been together for 5 years, how is this possible?

  5. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Maxi,

    Like this post discusses, whoever gets HIV is down to luck. Some people contract HIV during one risky exposure, others, nothing for years. It really is a case of bad luck.

  6. Maxi

    Can someone explain Sophie’s Question pls?

  7. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Boston,

    Please see here:

    http://i-base.info/qa/7308

  8. boston

    I want to know more about how someone can be positive, but their partner negative.

  9. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Sophie,

    You’ve been lucky. Please see Q5 here:

    http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions

  10. Sophie

    My husband tested positive and I tested negative we have been together for 20yrs an I just find out last year an we were not using protection and I was pregnant I delivered my baby and the baby tested negative how is that possible?