Sex with someone who is HIV Positive?

[Benvolio]

Of course, if the viral load can be known, it reduces the risk, perhaps to negligible. Failing that, the risk of accident is sufficient to make avoidance a rational decision. Some people are comfortable with more risk than others.

 

[vulgar_newcomer]

The ONLY safe way is safer sex. Go with "almost zero risk" if you want; your future.



I believe the cost of Truvada is in excess of $1,000.00 a month.

You believe right in the USA it retails from $1,250 to about $1,500 a month (OCT 2014).

 

[mbamike]

I know I should not be getting my information from a gay-hookup-site blog, but A4A has had a couple of blogs recently about dating the undetectable man and removing the prejudice associate with being HIV positive. A couple of statements have stuck with me.

"In 2008 a group of Swiss scientists produced the first ever consensus statement which asserted that an HIV positive person who is taking effective antiretroviral therapy, has an undetectable viral load and is free from STDs, has a negligible risk of infecting others with the virus."

"Statistically, you are far, far more at risk if you have unsafe sex with someone who doesn’t know their HIV status then someone who takes his medication religiously to keep is health on top!"

In addition, there is a website, HIVstigman.com , that discusses the negative stigma associated with being HIV positive and how this hurts the gay community.

Thus, I am giving it some serious thought on changing my attitude about hooking up with POZ guys. I am actually safer with an HIV undetectable guy than another guy who says he is negative, but hasn't been tested in months. According to the CDC, 14% of the guys who are positive don't know they are positive. This percentage increases when one looks specifically at certain areas.

I am thinking also I should be on prEP. I have come across a few guys on A4A who state in their profiles they are on prEP. I am a bottom and have anal-receptive sex with multiple sex partners. That puts me in the highest risk category. BTW, I tested negative for HIV and STD on 11/21/2014.

Does anyone know if prEP is covered under the VA health care? I have done some research, but have not come up with a definitive answer.

What else should I consider?

 

[Telstra]

If the person seems too tone, too fit or too slim (no body fat what so ever) be careful ...
And i was asking about hiv breath with these people

 

[KaraBulut]

"In 2008 a group of Swiss scientists produced the first ever consensus statement which asserted that an HIV positive person who is taking effective antiretroviral therapy, has an undetectable viral load and is free from STDs, has a negligible risk of infecting others with the virus."

This is probably "Critiques envers les recommandations de la CFPS concernant l'infectiosité des personnes séropositives sous TAR" [translation:Critique of the Recommendations of the CFPS on the Infectivity of HIV+ People on ART] published in Bulletin des Médecins Suisses in 2008. It's important to note that this was a "statement" not a research study but the authors are well-respected HIV experts in Europe and their conclusion is based upon sound research.

What the statement actually said is if an HIV positive person is on antiretrovirals (ART) and has an undetectable viral load consistently for 6 months and has no other STDs, then they could be considered non-infectious. The problem with their statement is that they really didn't distinguish between the research on heterosexual couples (who are having vaginal sex) versus men having sex with men (which is more likely to include anal sex). However, some of the studies that were more specific to men who have sex with men (MSM) have shown that low viral load is associated with lower rates of infection.

Thus, I am giving it some serious thought on changing my attitude about hooking up with POZ guys. I am actually safer with an HIV undetectable guy than another guy who says he is negative, but hasn't been tested in months. According to the CDC, 14% of the guys who are positive don't know they are positive. This percentage increases when one looks specifically at certain areas.

I am thinking also I should be on prEP. I have come across a few guys on A4A who state in their profiles they are on prEP. I am a bottom and have anal-receptive sex with multiple sex partners. That puts me in the highest risk category. BTW, I tested negative for HIV and STD on 11/21/2014.

It's important to make a distinction between NSA sex and relationships.

If you were in a relationship with someone who is HIV+ and who you know for certain has a low viral load, you could continue using condoms or other safer sex practices with some degree of assurance that even if there were an accident with a condom break or other slip-up, you would be at very low risk for infection.

On the other hand, if you are having NSA sex with people who state in their profile that they have low viral loads or are on ART, you probably should not modify your behavior. People say a lot of things that are untrue on their profiles, so you're better off not taking the word of a stranger. Always use condoms, always avoid exchanging body fluids and always be safe.

There is a lot of focus on HIV when discussing bareback sex which ignores the fact that hepatitis A/B/C, syphilis, HPV, chlamydia and gonorrhea rates among MSM have been steadily increasing for the past several years. Keep this in mind since safer sex has been working well for you.

Human nature is that we consider people whose status is unknown to be less risky than those who we know have HIV. If you are using condoms and adhere to safer sex practices, there's no logical reason to exclude partners solely because they are HIV+.

Does anyone know if prEP is covered under the VA health care? I have done some research, but have not come up with a definitive answer.

The FDA approved Truvada for use in HIV- persons who are at risk for HIV infection.

The VA has only come forward with a clear statement for veterans who are on a relationship where one partner is HIV+ and the other HIV- (referred to as discordant relationships).

For everyone else, there's a risk assessment tool and they are still very focused on lowering high risk behaviors (not that that is a bad thing- it is an effective strategy). The VA has not come out and said that they will cover PrEP for HIV- patients who are in high risk categories and it is left to the individual practitioner's discretion. The good news is that they have setup a PrEP Advisory Hotline for practitioners to call to determine the appropriateness of PrEP on a case-by-case basis. If your local VA doesn't have the number to call, it is here.

 

[bankside]

I'd love to see gay people discuss risk from a different perspective. The party line is "everyone needs to think about the risk they are comfortable with." And it is always framed in terms of the risk of catching HIV.

No one really asks a guy if he is comfortable with the risk of infecting someone with HIV.

 

[wayworth]

Be careful of the guys that tell you they are neg or unsure. There the guys one should be weary of. As for oral sex without condoms. If the hiv virus was easilly passed that way then almost every gay man on the planet would be poz by now!!!! However also be carefull and ALWAYS put a condom on sex toys because Hep C can survive for months in tiny minute particules of blood only visable with a microscope. Hep C is being spread in the gay community through sharing sex toys.

 

[ShadowCat]

Sweetheart they have flavored condoms, don't tempt the fates use a condom for every sexual encounter with this guy. BTW Truvada in Illinois is $1300.00