Question
I’m 36 and HIV+, how long will I live?
27 February 2012. Related: All topics, Disclosure, Life expectancy, Living with HIV long-term.
Hi, I am 36 years old, diagnosed 2 years ago HIV Positive.
My CD4 is 547 and my viral load is under 5000 copies, I am still not on treatment and have no resistance to any of the main medications used. I have no other health problems, don’t smoke, eat well and exercise 4-5 times a week.
I know that I should reach a fairly good age but what is that likely to be? I still wonder whether I should bother making plans for pensions and I am feeling very low as I think I will have poor quality of life even if I do have another 25-30 years left.
Few people know that I am gay let alone positive which makes things difficult.
I would really like some help understanding what age I am likely to live until and what my quality of life will be.
Thanks in advance for an incredibly good website and source of information.
Answer
Hi,
Thanks for your question. It is great to hear that your CD4 Count is so high and that you are looking after your health.
You asked how long you can expect to live. This question is difficult to answer because of course each person is an individual. HIV affects everybody differently.
Being diagnosed early- when you still have a high CD4 count- is important in increasing life expectancy. A recent study looked at HIV positive men who have sex with men living in rich countries. It found that, when diagnosed early, life expectancy was 75 years. The study, which is quite technically worded, can be viewed at this link.
I hope this reassures you that you can expect to live almost as long as somebody who is HIV negative. You also said that you are worried about having a poor quality of life.
While living with HIV is not easy you can still have a good quality of life. Treatment and care within the UK is an excellent standard. We have access to the latest drugs. Serious side effects are much less common with new drugs, and are well managed.
You mentioned that you don’t have much support and that few people know that you are gay. This must be difficult when trying to cope with your recent diagnosis. You might be interested in meeting other gay men in the UK living with HIV. If you look at this link you will see ways to contact support groups for gay HIV positive men.
If you would like to talk to somebody within i-Base for more information you can call our free phoneline on 0808 800 6013.
Hi Lisa
when is the right time to have children if u are HIV positive and already on medication?
Hi Orina.
Being positive shouldn’t have any effect on your fertility. So unless there are other issues then you should be able to have children. With regards to cognition, its not possible to predict. However, you may find the following guide helpful: http://i-base.info/guides/side
Hi Lisa, I have these issues that are bothering me soo much and I need your help.can HIV affect the cognitive domain and the fertility rate of a man living with it? And if it is the case how can one go about it to maintain his both cognitive and fertility active and functional normally?
Hi Toxy,
If you have just been diagnosed this can be a difficult time. But as this Q&A says, Please slow down. Take time. It is going to be okay.
People can start taking HIV meds (ARVs) at any time of life. Once you’re on HIV treatment (ART) your life expectancy can be similar to someone who is HIV negative.
You’ll see much more infromation in this Introduction to ART.
I got infected 8months now. I am ashamed to go for medications or tell anyone.am 50yrs..if I start taking the medications now.will I be ok
Hi Lizzy,
Please see this Q&A about websites to meet other people who are HIV positive.
Deciding to meet other positive people has a lot of advantages and one of the easiest ways to make contact with people is to use the internet.
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.
The check list at this link is a good overview if you are new to meeting people by internet.
Hi..am lizzy I have now 7yrs positive with hiv1.. I think no body can love when your positive.. Is it possible to get my caring partner who is positive like? And how can I get?
Hi Orina,
We get asked this question a lot, I wish there were an easy answer, however there isn’t.
If you’ve been having sex without a condom with your partner, you’re going to need to tell her about your status. This is important, because she may also be positive. For her own health she will need to know.
If you haven’t been having sex without a condom, then there won’t have been any risk to your partner. This may help in telling her. It may be a shock when you tell her, but if this relationship is what you want, then being honest and open is, in my opinion the only real way to go.
Being able to share with her that as long as you’re on medication and your viral load is undetectable there’s no risk could help. Please see here: http://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
Like I said, this is, in my personal opinion one of the hardest things for positive people. Telling a sexual partner can be very hard as you don’t know how they will react. Some people are ok with it (my partner is negative) whereas others just can’t get their head around it.
Whatever you decide to do, best of luck.
With regards to your family, talk to them when you’re ready, that is if you want to. If it helps, it gets easier as time goes on.
Hi
am orina 33yrs old I have just tested positive one month ago with CD 4 of 467 and already am on medication. my challenge is am engaged but I haven’t told my partner about my status or my family or my friends. How will I go through this like disclosing to them without affecting my relationship with my partner since I don’t feel like loosing her?
Hi,
If your partner is on medication and their viral load is undetectable, this will explain why you’re negative. Please see here: http://i-base.info/u-equals-u/ If your partners viral load is detectable, then you’ve basically just been very lucky.