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If you find out that you have HIV, do not think that it is the end of life. People living with HIV can have normal, healthy relationships and sex lives. But it’s important to take precautions to help your partner stay HIV-free.

There are a few ways that you can avoid spreading HIV to other people:

Always use condoms when you have sexual intercourse.

Start treatment for HIV as soon as possible, and keep taking your HIV medicine. When you take it correctly, HIV treatment can lower or even stop your chances of spreading the virus to your sexual partners and help you stay healthy.

There’s a daily pill your partner can take to lower the risk of getting HIV, called PrEP.

Don’t share needles for piercings or tattoos.

Get tested and treated for other STDs besides HIV regularly. Having other STDs makes it easier for you to spread HIV to others.

If you test positive for HIV, it’s important to tell your sexual partners about it so they can be tested, too. Even if you’re really careful to not spread HIV, be honest with your future partners about your status so you can both be informed and help each other stay healthy.

What is PrEP?

PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. It’s a pill you take once a day that can help you prevent HIV. Your doctor or nurse can help you decide if PrEP is suitable for you.

What is PEP?

PEP stands for post-exposure prophylaxis. It’s a series of pills you start taking after you’ve been exposed to HIV that lowers your chances of getting HIV. You have to start PEP within 72 hours (3 days), after you were exposed to HIV for it to work. The sooner you start it, the better. Every hour counts, so if you think you were exposed to HIV, call your nurse or doctor or go to the emergency room right away. PEP is only for emergencies.

ART and how does it help prevent HIV?

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a combination of medicines that slows down the effects of HIV in your body and can help you stay healthy for many years. It can also lower or even stop your chances of giving HIV to anyone else.

ART lowers the amount of HIV in your body (called the viral load) sometimes to the point where HIV won’t show up on standard blood tests. If your HIV viral load is so low that certain tests can’t see it, it’s called “undetectable.” When someone has an undetectable viral load, they can’t spread HIV to others during sexual intercourse.

It’s important to remember that even with an undetectable viral load, HIV is still present in your body. If you stop treatment your viral load can go up, making it possible to pass HIV to others you have sexual intercourse with.