Sex is is still part of your life, just like any other person. Having HIV means you could pass HIV on to someone during sex, so you need to take that into account. Using condoms is the simplest, most effective way to reduce that risk, but they don’t suit everyone. Some people react to their HIV diagnosis by having lots of sex, others by losing interest, or feeling they just ought not to have any sex at all. None of these is the perfect answer. The important thing is to find a balance in your life, with a sex life that is good for you and for your partner.
Mary
My partner refused to use condoms, even though he wasn’t HIV positive. No matter how many times we talked about it he just didn’t want to know.
Patrick
I was never keen on condoms before, and that hasn’t magically changed since I was diagnosed. I don’t much like them, and they get in the way. But if it’s a toss up between that and not being able to have fullon sex with my partner, I know which one I’ll choose.
Brian
We try and make more of other kinds of sex that don’t involve penetration. In a way it’s been quite good fun experimenting with different things.
Terry
I know my viral load is pretty high, and that can make a person more infectious. That makes us all the more aware of the necessity of using condoms.
Having a sex life is an important part of anyone’s life. It isn’t something to stay away
from because you have HIV. It may be more complicated, but not impossible. Using condoms
can help with the worry that you might be
putting someone else at risk. And using plenty
of water-based lubricant is a good way to help reduce the chance of the condom splitting. Having HIV doesn’t make you immune to other
sexually transmitted infections. Some of them
can be very serious and make your HIV worse,
your treatment less effective and can increase
the risk of passing on HIV. You will still need to look after your own sexual health. If your partner is HIV positive too, looking after your sexual health is still important. It is
possible for one HIV positive person to catch
another, more aggressive or drug-resistant type
of HIV from someone else. It’s not clear how
often this happens, or whether the health
problems that might come about because of it
are serious or last forever. But it is has been shown to happen in a small number of cases. Many HIV positive couples decide not to use condoms, especially in couples where neither
person has sex with anyone else. It’s a question
of making a choice between intimacy and the possible risks.
Move on to Can I still have children?