HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV weakens your immune system and makes it much harder for your body to fight off infections. If HIV progresses, it can lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is the most advanced form of HIV–it can include having infections, cancer, and eventually lead to death if untreated.

Fortunately, effective treatment options exist to keep HIV-positive people healthy without any chance of passing on HIV to sex partners. By starting on treatment early and staying on it, HIV is now a manageable, chronic condition and people living with HIV can expect to live a long life.

You can read more about HIV from the World Health Organization or Building Healthy Online Communities.

Today, HIV-negative people can prevent HIV transmission by using condoms and taking PrEP – medications that can prevent HIV. People living with HIV can do the same by taking medication and maintaining an undetectable viral load.

Regardless of these prevention strategies, various kinds of sex carry different levels of risk.

  • No risk for HIV transmission: Kissing, mutual masturbation, rimming, frottage, massage, water sports, bondage, dirty talk and role play, spanking, wrestling, using toys
  • Little to no risk for HIV transmission: Oral sex
  • Medium risk for HIV transmission: Topping without a condom.
  • High risk for HIV transmission: Bottoming without a condom, sharing needles and/or works during IV drug use, and needle play with shared needles.

Of course, this only applies to HIV, not for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia.

You can read more about HIV from the World Health Organization or Building Healthy Online Communities.

The HIV risk for oral sex is little to none. Factors that may increase the risk of transmitting HIV through oral sex include oral ulcers, bleeding gums, genital sores, and having other STIs in the mouth. There are some documented cases of people getting HIV through their mouth, but researchers agree that it’s extremely rare, especially when someone living with HIV is undetectable.

You can read more about HIV from the World Health Organization or Building Healthy Online Communities

People living with HIV who take their medications can become undetectable. It is impossible for people with an undetectable viral load to transmit HIV to their sex partners. U=U is a term that has been adopted by many HIV organizations around the world.

You can read more about U=U from UNAIDS or the International AIDS Society (IAS).

There is no vaccine or cure for HIV. People living with HIV take medications, called antiretrovirals (ART), that keep them healthy and, if undetectable, make it impossible to pass on HIV to sex partners.

People living with HIV who stay on treatment can live long and healthy lives. If HIV isn’t treated, it can lead to AIDS and eventually death.

It is recommended that people start ART immediately after being diagnosed. Research shows that people who start treatment early can expect to have an average lifespan, particularly if diagnosed soon after you get HIV. That’s one reason frequent testing is so important.

There’s a period of time after a person gets HIV during which they won’t test positive. In other words, there’s a period of time when a person is HIV-positive but the test cannot yet detect the virus. This is called the HIV “window period.” The window period can last between ten days and three months, depending on the person’s body and on the type of test that’s used.

During that time, a person can test HIV-negative even though they’re HIV-positive. They can also still transmit HIV to another person. People very early in their HIV infection have a much more infectious viral load than later on after they start treatment. That’s one reason frequent testing is so important.

Other STIs also have window periods which may be different.

You can read more about HIV from the World Health Organization or Building Healthy Online Communities.

A self-test is a test you can take at home or in a private space on your own time. There are self-tests for many different health concerns, including STIs, HIV, pregnancy, and COVID. Self-tests in this resource specifically are going to focus on HIV and STIs.

Self-tests are a little different than the tests you may have taken in the past with your medical provider, at a clinic, or at a testing event. Here’s some of the key differences:

  • Some at-home tests let you test for HIV without blood – you swab your gums and get results in a few minutes! It’s a super private and fast option.
  • Other self-tests use a fingerstick (not blood from a vein) for you to prick your finger to put a little bit of blood on a card or in a small tube. Then you send the sample to a lab and get results later.
  • The type of self-test you have access to will depend on where you live and the local regulations. For some parts of the world, you can find testing site listings here.

You can read more about HIV from the World Health Organization or Building Healthy Online Communities.

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