Question
Why did my partner test positive when I tested negative?
19 April 2022. Related: All topics, HIV transmission, Sero different couples.
My partner and I have been together for six years. He tested positive three years ago.
Automatically assuming I would be infected already we continued to have unsafe sex. I never went for a test until three years later in 2012.
He was beginning his treatment and wanted me to do the same, but when I went to my local clinic I tested HIV negative.
Can I trust these results or should I worry about testing HIV positive in near future? I’m so confused!
Answer
The risk of catching HIV is low compared to many other infections.
So your situation is common to still be negative even if without condoms with someone who is HIV positive. Your negative result is also related to good luck – so it is not good to rely on this in the future.
As your partner has just started treatment, the risk of transmission will already be much lower. Then, once his viral load becomes undetectable the risk is effectively zero.
The PARTNER studies showed that ART stops sexual transmission. For example, after more than 100,000 times that an HIV positive person had sex without a condom with an HIV negative partner, there were ZERO transmissions. Viral load just needs to be undetectable on ART.
This and other studies led to the U=U campaign (undetectable = untransmittable).
https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
This guide to HIV testing and risks of sexual transmission includes more info on transmission risk. Also, the answer to Question 9 on our most asked questions page:
Can we stop using condoms if viral load is undetectable on treatment?
If your partner is not on treatment or if he still has detectable viral load, then using condoms will make sure you stay negative. Another option is to talk to your doctor about PtRP, which is where you can take a pill that will protect you against HIV. The UK guide to PrEP has more info.
Note: This answer was updated in 2016, 2018 and 2022 from a question first posted online in July 2012.
We no longer answer questions about transmission and testing. This information service is about HIV treatment for people who are HIV positive.
Most questions about transmission and testing have been answered here:
http://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing
I tested positive, then a week later my partner tested negative. I read somewhere that HIV tests are not 100% accurate what must I believe?
As your partner is on treatment, the risk to you is dramatically reduced. But to find out if you’re HIV positive you need to have a test.
Hi, I am in a relationship with an HIV positive person (a guy). Recently we’ve been having unprotected sex. I haven’t been to a clinic for tests, is it possible for me to be HIV positive as well? Yes, he is taking the pills.
Because you partner is on treatment, the risk to both you and the baby is dramatically lower. It sounds like you have lots of things to talk about together. You will get the chance to understand what it is like to be born HIV positive and some of the difficulties that society causes. Your partner needs to have an undetectable viral load on treatment. Do you know if this test is available?
Hi my partner and I have been having sex without condom. Then one day i went to test then i tested negative but i told her that im positive then she said i should start taking treatments. She wasnt shocked at all then i showed her the results that im negative. She then pushed me into bed for sex we were not using protection and she is currently pregnant since i tested negative coz i trusted her. Then 4 weeks later she said she is from clinic but she didnt want to tell me what she was going to do there. Until i became serious n forced her. Then she started crying then she told me that she was born positive but she was affraid to tell me. But she was taking treatments since she was born. Then 3 days later i went for the second test at the clinic i tested negative. Does this mean im permanently negative or my status could change in future? And what about the baby coz this lady she is taking treatment can my baby be positive?
Hi Saleh
Please ask your doctor these questions. You may be mixing up the HIV test with viral load test.
After you test HIV positive and this is confirmed, most people atart treatment.
Monitoring then uses a viral load test – and effective treatment gets viral load to undetectable levels.
You will still be HIV positive though if you retest using an HIV test.
I tested HIV positive in 2015 and then start taking drugs but I came after months I tested negative and after seven months tested negative what will I do
Hi Lucy, You say you have protection from tb. Is this tuberculosis (TB)? Could you write back please? Or you could just mean tablets. The only way to keep your CD4 count high is to go on ARVs. HIV treatment is now recommended at any CD4 count because it will help your body keep strong. Vaginal warts can come and go, but it’s important to talk to your doctor about them, especially if you’re HIV positive.
I tested positive in February and I’m not on ARVs I got vitamin supplements and protection from tb.I just wanted to know how long can I stay without treatment my CD4 count was 770 and I had viginal warts but now they went away by themselves. Is this good or bad, or should I still be worrying about my body being strong enough without treatment. Thank you.