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 AP,
A good place to start would be to contact GMHC who provide a variety of support services in NYC.
You could also try posting this message onto the forum on http://www.poz.com to find groups or people interested in setting something up.
Hi, Everyone.
My husband was diagnosed with HIV little over a yr ago and I was negative. Now I have decided to stick by him and work things out but it has been hard on me. I am looking for a support group in NYC, if any one knows of one please send me info. Please help me find one that is a mix group.
Hi Khule,
Did you see my other message to you here? Do you have any support- like a counsellor or support group? You don’t need to deal with this diagnosis alone. If you tell me which country you live in I will give you details of HIV organisations where you are.
This thing like boys,I have been married for 10yrs and have children but I am possitive and he is negetive,I hate that we did not test when we first meet cause I was going to deal with this alone and know every thing is hard.And I can’t cope
Hi James,
I’m sorry but I don’t understand your question. If you have had a positive HIV test result it is important to have this test confirmed and to see your doctor for follow up tests. Please see our testing guide for more info.
i want to know.i test positive in fist time in sametime rest in local clinic.wht must know it true or can go to secon test.
Your negative result make it very unlikely that you have HIV, but the clinic probably still want to offer you a final test in a few month just to confirm this. So long as you use condoms carefully from now on, there is no reason for you to be at risk. It sounds like you are still in shock though and that you are not thinking about sex again yet. Both you and your partner will need support and time to understand HIV and how to stay safe if you decide to stay together. Your partner needs to have access to monitoring but can still lead a normal active life with benefit of current treatment.
my boyfriend tested positive,and we have been using protection,I tested negative after seven weeks,im so scared I can’t even give him support,I don’t know if can I relax after testing negative after 7 weeks posible exposure
Hi. You have lots of questions and these are answered in this guide about HIV transmission. If you read this, especially the early sections, this should help. You only need one exposure to become infected. Because the risk is often relatively low, you can also be exposed to HIV and not catch the virus. Please read more to understand this.
Hi, i’d like to know that is it possible that you, as a hiv negative body had an sexual intercourse with hiv positive body unaware once in you life time, is it possible that you’ll get infected ? Getting infected belongs on how weak your immune system is or that doesn’t count? There’s one thing i don’t understand, a man can stay many years making childrens with a hiv positive body and not getting infected, is that because of his strongest immune system or what? This confusess me please help!