What about my partner / s?
* you partner should be checked in case they have the infection or to keep safe is they don't
* telling them may be hard for you and is something you may not feel able to discuss immediately
* discuss this with your Health Advisor as they have experience of the dilemma of 'who to tell, when and why'
What about sex?
* the consistent use of condoms is strongly advised
* you may prefer to enjoy other forms of intimacy rather than penetrative sex
What about oral sex, anal sex and condoms?
* it is important to protect yourself and your partner, even if you are both 'HIV antibody positive'
* they may have other germs or a different strain of HIV, which might affect you and make you more ill if you catch them
What complications can come from having it?
* HIV can lead to AIDS
* you could be perfectly healthy for about 10 years without even realising you have been infected
* during this time you could infect other people
In short - HIV is caught - the person may not feel any different for many years - then they may have difficulty fighting off minor illnesses. This weakens their immune system. With a little more time, the immune system cannot fight off invading germs and AIDS starts to take over. AIDS can make you vulnerable to illnesses, which the body can no longer fight off and destroy.
Should I be treated for HIV?
* the choice has to be yours and you should not decide to have the test without realising its implications
* the 'Health Advisors' in GUM Clinics would advise you before you are tested and help you assess your own situation
* you should be open and honest with them though, for it helps them work out your 'risk status'
* there are advantages to having the test - although you may not want to know, or are too scared to know - you could be worrying for no reason and the only easy way to put your mind at ease is to be tested
* the disadvantages are more to do with insurance companies, mortgage requests etc, although their attitude and the associated 'stigma' is changing
* you can discuss it thoroughly with a Health Advisor at the GUM Clinic or through the pride project
* if in doubt about anything - ask questions and keep asking until you have your answers
Will my doctor suggest I have the test?
* generally, it is left up to you to decide about this
* they may ask you to have it if, you are ill and they cannot find out what is wrong with you - otherwise, sometimes people who are 'HIV antibody positive' have a lower resistance to sexually transmitted infection than other people - so, if you keep getting recurrences of infection it may be suggested that you have the test
* they would only ask this of you, after trying the usual treatments without success
How can I avoid getting HIV?
* take time to get to know your partner before having penetrative sex together
* careful and consistent use of condoms is wise, as protection against infection - even with another method of birth control
* don't share needles or injecting equipment of any sort if you use drugs
* you may decide on other forms of intimacy, rather than penetrative sex
* never assume that a 'clean looking person' is clear of infection
* protect yourself - use condoms every time you have sex
There are many leaflets and books written about AIDS and HIV, which explain the infection in greater detail. E-mail us for more help, advice, information and leaflets
Perhaps, you may like to make a list of questions you want answered before you speak to the 'health professionals' - they won't mind.
