Myth #: If I Take Prep I Dont Need To Use A Condom
PrEP is a medication that can prevent HIV infection in advance, if taken daily.
According to Dr. Horberg, a 2015 study from Kaiser Permanente followed people using PrEP for two and a half years, and found that it was mostly effective at preventing HIV infections, again if taken daily. The US Preventive Services Task Force currently recommends that all people at increased risk of HIV take PrEP.
However, it doesnt protect against other sexually transmitted diseases or infections.
PrEP is recommended to be used in combination with safer sex practices, as our study also showed that half of the patients participating were diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection after 12 months, says Dr. Horberg.
Myth #: Those Who Test Negative For Hiv Can Have Unprotected Sex
If a person was recently diagnosed with HIV, it may not show up on an HIV test until up to three months later.
Traditionally used antibody-only tests work by detecting the presence of antibodies in the body that develop when HIV infects the body, explains Dr. Gerald Schochetman, senior director of infectious diseases with Abbott Diagnostics. Depending on the test, HIV positivity could be detected after a few weeks, or up to three months after possible exposure. Ask the person performing the test about this window period and the timing of repeat testing.
Individuals should take a second HIV test three months after their first, to confirm a negative reading. If theyre having regular sex, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation suggests getting tested every three months. Its important for an individual to discuss their sexual history with their partner, and to talk with a healthcare provider about whether they and their partner are good candidates for PrEP.
Other tests, known as HIV combo tests, can detect the virus earlier.
Why Testing Protection And Clean Needles Are So Important
Health experts want everybody who is sexually active or using injected drugs to remember the best ways to avoid HIV:
- Using a condom when you have sex, especially if you and your partner havent been tested together
- Consider taking PrEP, the once daily pill to prevent infection in someone HIV negative
- Never sharing or re-using needles
- Getting tested frequently every three to six months or more, depending on your doctors advice.
The best strategy is to do all four. Without testing youll never know if youve been exposed. If you don’t use a condom and take PrEP , you can get infected or infect somebody else . The same is true of sharing and re-using needles. A combination of tactics will ensure your sexy time stays safe as well as fun
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How Mental Health Issues Can Worsen Hiv Among Bisexual People
Bisexual people often also have worse mental health outcomes, often as a result of biphobia and bisexual erasure. For instance, many bisexual people deal with being told that their sexuality is either nonexistent or invalid. This includes being told that bisexuals are greedy, confused, or sexually promiscuous.
Bisexual people have a number of measurably worse mental health outcomes than their straight and gay counterpartseach of which can lead to increased HIV risk and poorer health while living with HIV.
Putting A Number On It: The Risk From An Exposure To Hiv
This information was provided by CATIE . For more information, contact CATIE at 1-800-263-1638.
Author: James Wilton
Service providers working in HIV prevention are often asked by their patients and clients about the risk of HIV transmission from an exposure to HIV through sex. What do the latest studies tell us about this risk? And how should we interpret and communicate the results?
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Now That I Have Hiv I Cant Have Kids
You may be able to safely have children. Doctors can help you take steps to lower — or remove — the chance that youâll pass the virus to your partner during conception. If you’re pregnant, your doctor will give you HIV drugs to protect you and your baby. The baby may also be given medication after birth.
Myth #: If Both Partners Have Hiv Theres No Reason For A Condom
Studies have shown that a person living with HIV who is on regular antiretroviral therapy that reduces the virus to undetectable levels in the blood is NOT able to transmit HIV to a partner during sex. The current medical consensus is that Undetectable = Untransmittable.
However, the CDC recommends that even if both partners have HIV, they should use condoms during every sexual encounter. In some cases, its possible to transmit a different strain of HIV to a partner, or in some rare cases, transmit a form of HIV that is considered a superinfection from a strain that is resistant to current ART medications.
The risk of a superinfection from HIV is extremely rare the CDC estimates that the risk is between 1 and 4 percent.
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How Homelessness Among Lgbtq People Ties In To Hiv
Homelessness is a major risk factor for acquiring HIV. People who experience homelessness are not only at a much higher risk for acquiring HIV, they are also much less likely to receive HIV medical treatment, and they have worse health outcomes than people with HIV who have housing.
Unfortunately, LGBTQ peopleespecially LGBTQ youthare much more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. LGBTQ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their cisgender, straight counterparts. And though LGBTQ people do not comprise 40% of the population, LGBTQ youth comprise 40% of all homeless youth.
LGBTQ homeless youth experience many other hardships that are considered risk factors for acquiring HIV, including poor mental health, minority stress, substance use, unprotected sex, and survival sex.
Within the LGBTQ youth population, a persons identity can affect how they experience homelessness and the factors that lead to homelessness. For instance:
Homelessness among young gay and bisexual men has been connected with a greater lifetime risk for HIVmeaning the risk extends much longer than their period of homelessness. Young gay and bisexual men who run away from home engage in oral and anal sex on average one year younger than non-runaway young gay and bisexual men. They are also more likely to experience forced sexual contact, get diagnosed with an STI, and use drugs, including injection drugs.
Anal Sex Without A Condom
HIV can be transmitted through sex without a condom or other barrier method.
The chance of transmission is higher during anal sex without a condom or other barrier method than vaginal sex without a condom or other barrier method.
This is because the skin around the anus is thinner than the skin around the vagina, so small tears are more likely to occur during anal sex.
Someone without HIV is more likely to contract the virus during anal sex if they are the receptive partner .
Early diagnosis and treatment for HIV are important. Treatment with antiretroviral therapy prevents progression to AIDS. It can also reduce the virus to undetectable levels, at which point it cant be transmitted to others.
The CDC recommends that MSM get tested for HIV at least once a year. People at higher risk of HIV may benefit from more frequent testing, such as every 3 to 6 months.
Not all MSM follow these recommendations. As a result, some may have HIV without realizing it. This can lead to delays in treatment and increase the chances of transmission.
As of 2018, approximately 1 in 6 MSM with HIV in the United States didnt know they had the virus, reports the . In that same year, per the CDC, only 65 out of 100 gay and bisexual men with HIV in the United States received some HIV care.
Some MSM dont seek testing or treatment due to homophobic stigma or fear of discrimination.
Medications are available to reduce your likelihood of acquiring HIV.
In 2017, the CDC reported, PrEP was taken by:
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You Can Test Yourself For Hiv In The Privacy Of Your Own Home
Several at-home HIV tests have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and can be bought online or at a drugstore. Many of these tests ask consumers to prick their finger with a needle, place a few drops of blood on a blotter pad, and then mail the sample to a lab. Of course, you can also see your doctor for a conventional blood test or visit almost any public health center for a blood or saliva test . These centers also offer confidential on-site counseling. The CDC notes that if you get a positive result from any at-home test, youll have to get other testing to confirm the results.
I Don’t Need To Worry About Getting Hiv Drugs Will Keep Me Well
Antiretroviral drugs improve the lives of many people who have HIV and help them live longer. But many of these drugs are expensive and have serious side effects. There’s no cure for HIV. And drug-resistant strains of HIV can make treatment harder.
Prevention is cheaper and easier than managing a lifelong condition and the problems it brings.
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Against All Odds: What Are Your Chances Of Getting Hiv In These Scenarios
Playing the HIV numbers game is lessand morerisky than you think.
EDITORS NOTE: Although the underlying ideas and messages in this article remain relevant, much HIV prevention research has been published since 2014, notably about there being effectively no risk of transmitting the virus if you are HIV positive and undetectable , as well as the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis . Go to #Prevention, #Undetectable, #TasP and #PrEP for the latest related updates.
Liz Defrain
Theres not a lot of certainty in these numbers. But they can be a good tool for understanding risk.
During sex, our risk perception is replaced by love, lust, trust and intimacy.
Liz Defrain
Read More About:
Use A Barrier Method During Sex
Condoms and other barrier methods can protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections .
If you have HIV or another STI, getting treatment and using a condom or other barrier method every time you have sex can reduce the risk of transmission.
If you dont have an STI, you can protect yourself from acquiring an STI by using a condom or other barrier method every time you have sex.
Also, its important to buy the right size condom for you and to use it properly.
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Its Much Easier To Get Hiv From Anal Sex
Its been scientifically proven that anal sex is riskier than vaginal sex when it comes to HIV. Eighteen times riskier to be exact. There are two reasons for this. First, the cells in the ass are much more susceptible to HIV than cells in the vagina. Second, both semen and rectal mucosa carry more HIV than vaginal fluid. Combine this with the fact that gay and bi guys have much more anal sex than straight guys, and youve got yourself a lot more risk right there.
How Do You Get Or Transmit Hiv
You can only get HIV by coming into direct contact with certain body fluids from a person with HIV who has a detectable viral load. These fluids are:
- Blood
- Semen and pre-seminal fluid
- Rectal fluids
- Vaginal fluids
- Breast milk
For transmission to occur, the HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person through a mucous membrane open cuts or sores or by direct injection.
People with HIV who take HIV medicine daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative partners.
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You Can Have Hiv And Not Know It
When some people are first infected with HIV, they can experience flulike symptoms such as fatigue, fever, headache, sore throat, and muscle and joint pain within the first two to four weeks. But many other people wont experience any symptoms at all during this early stage of infection, the CDC reports, and they can spread the virus without realizing it. The only way to know for sure whether you or your partner is HIV positive is to get tested. Late-stage HIV before it becomes AIDS does cause symptoms, but these can be confused with other ailments.
Hiv Infection Rates In The Us
The HIV virus affects the human immune system and, if left untreated can eventually lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome .
The CDC reported that in 2009 that male-to-male sex accounted for 61% of all new HIV infections in the U.S. and that those who had a history of recreational drug injection accounted for an additional 3% of new infections. Among the approximately 784,701 people living with an HIV diagnosis, 396,810 were MSM. About 48% of MSM living with an HIV diagnosis were white, 30% were black, and 19% were Hispanic or Latino. Although the majority of MSM are white, non-whites accounted for 54% of new infections HIV related MSM infections in 2008.
In 2010 the CDC reported that MSM represented approximately 4 percent of the male population in the United States but male-to-male sex accounted for 78 percent of new HIV infections among men and 63 percent of all new infections. Men overall accounted for 76% of all adults and adolescents living with HIV infection at the end of 2010 in the United States, and 80% of the estimated 47,500 new HIV infections. 69% of men living with HIV were gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. 39% of new HIV infections in US men were in blacks, 35% were in whites, and 22% were in Hispanics/Latinos. The rate of estimated new HIV infections among black men was 103.6six and a half times that of white men and more than twice the rate among Hispanic/Latino men as of 2010.
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Discrimination And Homophobia As Causes Of Hiv
Despite increased visibility, acceptance and recent sociopolitical advances, gay and bisexual men continue to live in a society that privileges heterosexuality while denigrating nonheterosexual relationships, behaviors and identities . As a result, our population continues to face stigma rarely encountered by our heterosexual counterparts. Oppressive social structures and inequalities affecting gay and bisexual men have been implicated in perpetuating not only the HIV epidemic but also rates of anal cancer, Hepatitis B, human papillomavirus and lymphogranulma vernreum infections, syphilis, gonorrhea and Hepatitis C .
These structural conditions, which take the form of discrimination and homophobia , are further compounded by racism and economic disparities for gay and bisexual men of color. Exposure to and experiences of homophobia have been implicated in substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, negative body image, suicide attempts, increased stress and limited social support among gay and bisexual men . Moreover, experiences with homophobia have been shown to interfere with the ability of gay and bisexual men to establish and maintain longterm same-sex relationships, which protect against HIV acquisition . The experiences of homophobia may exert their effects on sexual risk taking indirectly by exacerbating mental health burden .
The way she talks about gay people its, its not right. Like shell be watching a movie and be like oh my god that… faggot.
Factors That Affect Men Who Have Sex With Men
In the United States, gay men are affected by human immunodeficiency virus more than any other people. Men who have sex with men is a term that refers to gay men as well as those who may identify in other ways, such as bisexual or heterosexual. MSM are disproportionately at risk of acquiring HIV.
While men who have sex with men represent only 2% to 7% of the U.S. population, 70% of all new HIV infections in 2019 were in this group. One-third of these were among Black MSM.
There are many reasons for this and several risk factors unique to men who have sex with men that can compound the odds of infection. It is these overlapping risk factors that account for the high rate of HIV among this group.
This article takes a closer look at four key factorsphysiological, sexual, social, and culturalthat place gay men and other men who have sex with men at the highest risk of HIV compared to all other groups.
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Does Hiv Viral Load Affect Getting Or Transmitting Hiv
Yes. Viral load is the amount of HIV in the blood of someone who has HIV. Taking HIV medicine daily as prescribed can make the viral load very lowso low that a test cant detect it .
People with HIV who take HIV medicine daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex.
HIV medicine is a powerful tool for preventing sexual transmission of HIV. But it works only as long as the HIV-positive partner gets and keeps an undetectable viral load. Not everyone taking HIV medicine has an undetectable viral load. To stay undetectable, people with HIV must take HIV medicine every day as prescribed and visit their healthcare provider regularly to get a viral load test. Learn more.
Hiv And The Straight Sex Connection: A Long
What are the chances of catching HIV through heterosexual sex? The answer to this question is probably the hottest topic in the continuing debate over AIDS in Britain. But it is not an easy answer to come by, mainly because the risks apparently vary dramatically from person to person and from place to place.
In case you are in any doubt about the stark differences, here are some examples. Worldwide, according to the WHO, sex between men and women accounts for three-quarters of all HIV infections. Yet in most European countries and North America no more than 15 per cent of HIV-positive people have been infected through heterosexual sex. This is partly because the chance of having sex with an infected person is higher where prevalence of the virus is higher. But it is not the whole story.FIG-mg18762502.jpg
Individuals such as Roy Cornes, a haemophiliac living in Birmingham, have been accused of infecting several sexual partners in a short time, yet it is equally possible for people to be exposed thousands of times to the virus without becoming infected, whether through gay or straight sex.
In the search for mechanisms, some scientists have focused on the virus, while others prefer to examine the human host and his or her susceptibility to infection. Both camps have discovered intriguing clues, but admit there are yawning gaps in our knowledge.
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