HIV prevention and treatment have come a long way since AIDS reached epidemic status in the 1980s. Since then, attitudes towards sex and hooking up have evolved, and safe sex has become a much more common discussion in bedrooms and mainstream media.
While it’s still vital to use condoms, there are other options available these days to further cut your risk of contracting HIV. One such option is HIV prevention medications you can take before transmission even occurs, called PrEP. But just how effective are these medications? First, let’s examine the basics.
What is PrEP?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) is medicine taken to prevent the transmission of HIV. PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV when taken as prescribed. PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99%“; however, as a few Adult FriendFinder members we spoke to pointed out, that number should be taken at face value.
99% Still Means 1 Out of 100
If you plan on having sex once, then sure, your odds of getting HIV from someone using PrEP properly are relatively low. But, on the other hand, if you have an active sex life, then chances are you plan on being far more sexually active. So even with 99% protection, the odds are actually not in your favor unless you take a multi-protected approach to sex. Yes, that means condoms are still necessary.
“When Taken As Prescribed” Isn’t A Guarantee
The CDC stats are based on the idea that the person you are about to have sexual contact with took PrEP exactly as prescribed. They are betting your new partner didn’t miss a dose, didn’t skip any other protocol, and is the model patient at every moment of every day. That may not seem right when you think about how you have been with them for the last 10 hours, and one of the things you love about them is their carefree attitude about so many other parts of life. Always assume others have missed a dose or skipped a required part of the prescription, and you’ll never be unpleasantly surprised.
Honesty Is Still The Key To Prevention
It’s easy to convince yourself that HIV/AIDS is a thing of the past because treatment has improved so much from what it was a couple of decades ago, but we all must stay vigilant and avoid falling into the trap of complacency. It’s still a serious concern, but it is now manageable if we are honest with ourselves and our potential lovers.
Educating yourself and those you choose to have sex with is the best way to keep everyone safe, happy, and orgasmically exhausted. Lay out your positive status the same way you would discuss any other health-related criteria for sex. For example, you wouldn’t keep an old sports injury or a cold sore a secret from someone you are about to have sex with, and you shouldn’t keep your status secret either. That said, where it used to be met with derision or rejection in the past, so many more people are aware of the advances in medicine and open to sexual relationships with people who happen to be HIV positive these days.
There are plenty of resources online that explain any risks associated with sex and share what people need to know so they can enjoy sex in the most carefree and exciting way possible. For example, if you wanted to have sex while skydiving, you could – but that doesn’t mean you would choose not to pack a parachute.
Having open and honest conversations about sex is the key to all aspects of satisfying relationships, whether they are meant to last a lifetime or intended to be a single no-strings-attached evening of mutual excitement.
The Bottom Line
PrEP is just the newest advancement down the path to preventing HIV before it happens, but it isn’t a complete solution. Used in combination with other safe sex practices, including condoms, it can reduce the risk of transmission to a truly negligible level. Still, even if the risk was only 0.000000000001%, your next lover has every right to know about your status, and if they are someone you should be willing to have sex with, they are also someone you can trust easily with that information.
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