A4A : New Option ; Negative On PrEP
Hey guys, you probably saw it already if you modified your profile in the last few days but we added a new option under “HIV Status” in your profile: Negative on PrEP. So we now have “Don’t know”, “Negative”, “Positive”, “Undetectable” and “Negative on PrEP”.
So my suggestion for you this week is “know your status”! Whether you don’t know, you’re neg, or neg on PrEP… take an appointment at your doctor or in a clinic and know your status. Not only it is important for you to know it, but also for others. Then if you want to put it in your A4A profile, it is your decision, but at least YOU will know your status and you will act accordingly. OK?
Let’s all work together at minimizing the HIV spread.
Have a wonderful day!
Dave
Wow. This is a very neat option. I’m hiv negative but would consider PrEP if “that” guy came along that happened to be positive. However, I’ve encountered 3 confirmed hiv positive men on the website that listed themselves as hiv negative. One of the three was “that” guy but he had a near suicidal meltdown and I finally found out after about a month of asking what’s wrong he finally told me that he was hiv positive and didn’t want to get hurt. Of course the red flags were there (prison, stripper, highly cautious with fluids/sex). We just got to a serious point and he went for a military guy that was also positive. I hope this new option eases guys need to create illusions or is this something else that goes with the territory such as weight, penis size, & the age/pic thing.
Whatever your status, USE A CONDOM if a cock goes into an ass. It’s still the ONLY proven method to reduce the biggest risk for HIV transmission.
Remember too that “undetectable” is still positive. The virus is still in the body of someone with that status and it’s “undetable” in blood. It’s still in semen and pre-cum.
Eric, yes the virus is still in the blood when you are undetectable but the risk of transmission is almost equal to zero. In a recent study, they were reporting 4% only (http://www.aidsmap.com/No-one-with-an-undetectable-viral-load-gay-or-heterosexual-transmits-HIV-in-first-two-years-of-PARTNER-study/page/2832748/)
So it has better results than the contraceptive pill in heterosexual couples. (6%)
I think the undetectable status option should be listed as ‘HIV positive undetectable’ because ‘undetectable’ on its own has the potential to be misleading to those that don’t have a full understanding of what undetectable really means. I would guess that many negative guys don’t know that undetectable means that the person is HIV Positive, and still capable of passing the virus on, but that their viral load is currently (at the time of testing) very low. I also think even offering undetectable as an option is problematic as it is a point in time test and a person’s viral load change in a short period of time.
Nice option and I’m considering getting on PreP myself. I know at least one guy on here who is poz, but who is listing himself as negative which is totally not cool, but other than outing him I can’t do anything. Just be careful guys because nothing is one hundred percent effective, and weigh all your options before you decide to bareback with that “undetectable” or “don’t know” guy, even if you are on PreP.
Negative, on PREP is a nice option. I think the ‘undetectable’ option should be listed as ‘HIV Positive, Undetectable’ because undetectable on its own is potentially misleading to those that don’t know what undetectable really means. Many guys, especially those that are HIV negative, might not have a full understanding of how and why the viral load is measured and what it actually means.
Undetectable refers to the viral load of a person that is HIV positive.
Even though undetectable means that the disease is being well managed, the HIV Positive person may still pass on the virus
Additionally a viral load test is a point in time test and has the potential to change dramatically based on several different factors.
It’s great that we have become so good at managing and understanding this disease but we clearly still have a long way to go in learning how to stop the spread of HIV.
You gotta wrap it before you Stick it guys!
Dear A4A, If you’re going to sensor my comments please use the email address that you required me to provide to explain why.
Censor lol
Good point Eric!
Yes, PrEP is a good thing concerning HIV, but it does not protect against other STDs and that’s something that I think really needs to be stressed when talking about being on PrEP. HIV isn’t the killer it was in decades past so I think with the younger generation there is less worry of becoming infected as there was with past generations. The drugs also have less side effects. Personally I wouldn’t go on PrEP unless I was with a partner with HIV. I do believe it gives people a false sense of security, and a besides abstinence, a condom, is the only way to prvent other STDS. Herpes, Gonorrhea, Syphilis are not fun diseases to have either and they too are lifelong.
Not only is there still a chance of contracting hiv, regardless the low number, there is s chance of multiple other non curable diseases. Not to mention causeing an untreatable HIV virus down the line. This is the dumbest option this site could’ve added. I was debating on keeping my profile. This has pushed me over the edge.
I think this added feature is great. As Jay mentioned, there are positive guys stating that they’re negative. I know a few. Perhaps, this new option will result in guys getting tested and more honesty from those who lie about their status!
For the life of me, I simply cannot understand why anyone would not get tested…. and tested regularly. From places like “Out of the Closet” thrift shops, to mobile test sites, to Planned Parenthood, it’s easy to get tested and it’s even free in most cases.
While that study sounds promising it is not complete and wont be till 2017. That is still 2 yrs away and a lot, good and bad can be found out in that time. Also, while 4% is very low it is not 0%.
Even if your neg and prep doesn’t mean you can have bareback sex. Prep only prevents HIV not STDs. I have seen and asked to bareback fuck a guy just because he is on prep. I feel as though since prep is available, no one seems to worry about STDs anymore or think “STDs are curable”. Well most are, the cost and having to admit you have an std every time you have sex, who would want to do that all the time? What happens if you get an std from some guy then you pass it to someone else and they pass it to someone else before you get tested, all because you were on prep and still went bare with a stranger. Yes, prep will help reduce hiv infections….but I have a feeling std infection will be higher.
Being on PrEP and thinking you won’t get HIV because of the lower risk, is like being a top and thinking you can’t get it. You will still have a chance. Btw… It’s ridiculous what this site permits to be posted and blocks what they deem inappropriate.
That 4% you stated is actually quite misleading. If you read the study results, there was 0 incidence of any transmission between any of the 767 sero-discordant couples who had unprotected sex for 2 years. The 1% (for anal w/out ejaculation) and 4% (anal w/ ejaculation) was only put out as a statistical likelihood (mainly due to sampling) but should be practically ZERO based on the results in the samples alone.
Also take note that the study had a pretty high threshold for viral load: As long as the HIV copies were <200 copies/mL, which is way above the undetectable threshold (20 being the most sensitive test), then they were included in the sample population of sero-discordant couples. So the study showed that you don't even have to be undetectable; you just have to have <200 copies for it to be virtually impossible to transmit HIV anally without protection.
With undetectable viral load, PrEP and proper condom use, it would be safe to say that there is no way HIV could be transmitted.
i still dont know exactly what that new designation means
Cool Option, Never The Less, A Lot Of Guys On A4A Will Purposely Leave That Option Blank(SMH) And Go To The Penis Size Box Overestimate Their Penis Sizes In A Heartbeat(SMH Again WTF?). As For This Whole “Safe Sex” Thing, I’d Highly Recommend The Use Of A Non Spermicidal, Flavored Condom Or A Dental Dam For Oral Sex Just To Be On The Safer Side. Although It’s A Lower Risk To Contract STI’s Via Oral Sex, The Risk Is Still There. A Close To Zero Risk Is Always Better Than A Low Risk In My Opinion, However To Each His Own.
Maybe it’s just me.
(Sorry to anyone this just might offend.)
Wouldn’t “Negative, on PrEP” mean “Anything goes”?
Ok, but maybe “Anything goes, and it’s ‘most likely’ OK.”
So, if that’s the schema that anyone is comfortable operating under … fine. Their choice.
I would like to see the status option removed altogether. I do agree that everyone should know his or her status, but I don’t agree that we should encourage people to advertise it on a public site. I also don’t think we should be encouraging each other to sero discriminate by giving them an option to choose who they talk to based on sero status. After all, we know that almost all transmissions take place from a person who thinks he is neg but is acutally poz, not by people who know they are poz. IT IS TIME TO REMOVE THE STATUS OPTION ALTOGETHER. #REMOVETHESTATUS
Since when does a NEW drug have to have 100% efficacy and NO side effects to be a wonderful new tool in the fight against a disease? The fact is, no drug – NONE – has 100% efficacy. The measles vaccine is only 85% effective, yet we routinely use it (only not enough these days).
100% doesn’t exist in statistics. Poll 1,000 people on whether a $5 bill is worth more than a $1 coin and you won’t get 100% agreement!
As for the side effects, there isn’t a single drug (NOT ONE) in the Physician’s Drug Reference that doesn’t have a potentially severe negative side effect on some percentage of people. This is why we take these medications under the supervision of a PHYSICIAN.
Is PrEP for everyone? No. (And neither is the measles vaccine, or aspirin!)
PrEP is not “THE ANSWER” to HIV — because there is not, and never will be a “THE ANSWER” to HIV! (Or any other disease, for that matter). Even if we discovered that eating ground up banana peals CURED HIV infections, a significant percentage of people are allergic to bananas!
PrEP is a tool — one of (hopefully) many more to come that will help us (humanity) slow the spread of this terrible virus and the diseases it causes (or enables). Like all other tools, it has its place. But given that we used to have NO tools (other than, perhaps condoms) to foil the spread of the virus, I think it is a welcome change to at least see PROGRESS.
As they say in recovery programs: PROGRESS not perfection!
As for the option, I like it. Its still optional to answer, so no worries.
Eric and Robert have good points. Undetectable is STILL positive. PrEP is the answer to a new sexual revolution or sexual free for all. Bottom line…know your status and protect yourself. Don’t be stupid.
Eric and Robert have good points. Undetectable is STILL positive. PrEP is not the answer to a new sexual revolution or sexual free for all. Bottom line…know your status and protect yourself. Don’t be stupid.
I actually know that “Negative On PrEP” means someone is taking really good care of their sexual and general health which is way better than the never tested but “I’m neg bro, ub2” crowd.
Being on PrEP involves a commitment to being regularly screened for sexually transmitted infections by a doctor regularly.
There have been no confirmed HIV transmissions to people that are adherent to PrEP with at least 4 does per week. Missing a dose if Truvada is way more forgiving than that “one time” you got wasted and don’t know if you used a condom.
And yeah, it doesn’t prevent other STDs, colds, influenza, homelessness or Republicans and I certainly hope you use a condom for oral sex because most STDs can be transmitted orally as well (esp. gonorrhea and syphilis).
I wanna know what prep is i have never even heard of itand i always bb and still neg even after being with several positive men
I noticed the new PrEP option but it looks like the search function doesn’t work properly. I searched a few yimes with the criteria neg on prep, it pulled up a few guys on prep and a bunch of guys undetectable or neg. Can you fix this please?
just remember everyone can make up anything they want truth be told neg guys seems to brag and poz undect is not as bad as it once was communication is the best don’t be afraid to ask hell now aday someone who doesn’t ask questions is rediculas
Jay – PrEP is not only good for meeting “that” guy (how romantic that love can actually conquer all … with a little help from chembio), but for meeting ANY guy, especially the “neg” guy or the “monogamous” guy … who isn’t either. (About 1/3 of guys who are poz, don’t know the CDC says.) I like that it’s another option in the tool kit, and you can use PrEP in conjunction with condoms, pull-out, TasP, sero-positioning, (frequent STI screenings if not already doing so while on PrEP,) sexual health conversations with potential partners, and other tested/effective hiv prevention strategies.
Eric – Condoms are NOT the only proven methods for preventing hiv these days. A lot has changed in the science of biochemical approaches to preventing and treating hiv last 5 years.. (PLEASE google and read the CDC’ s HIV PrEP/ TasP pages before spreading further inaccurate HIV prevention information.)
Robert – “Undetectable” test results are no less reliable (or “point-in-time[ish]”) than “negative” test results, thus the status option is no more (or less) “problematic” than the “negative” status option and thus should be regarded equitably.
Sean / Bigb c.f.- Sadly, there’s ALREADY a false sense of security around condoms and STIs like syphilis, hpv, gonnorrhea, chlamydia, herpes (2), and the like because of condoms (See CDC data on STI transmission concerning oral sex and skin-to-skin contact). The good news though is that there’s no need to feel ashamed about STI because they happen more than people let on and they’re treatable quickly, easily, and often at no out-cost of-pocket to the patient. With PrEP, more frequent STI testing leads to quicker treatment if/when infections are discovered, which means less STIs being spread and more stigma-/shame/fear-free sex (whether monogamous, serial, or promiscuous). Now THAT’S the kind of security I’d bank on for the individual, our community, AND society!
Ethan – you might want to do a bit more research on PrEP. The medication/strategy won’t cause untreatable HIV … because it prevents HIV, FULL STOP! (PrEP leads to HIV like condoms lead to HIV … No use, no protection.) However, I do know a few things that CAN cause untreatable HIV … like fear mongering, ignorance, and inaccurate prevention messages.
Reggie/Ian – Some poz guys lie, just like negative guys like about other things (length, girth, age, weight, cars, etc). The problem statistically isn’t untrustworthy poz people, it’s ignorance and fear. Much if not most of this HIV resurgence is fueled by people who don’t know they have the virus and spread it in the early, highly contagious phase, or by people who avoid finding out thier status for fear of being labeled “dirty,” “damaged,” “infected,” defective, and thus unworthy.
Greg – Which study are you referring to … because of you mean the IPREX, IPREX-OLE, PARTNERS, PROUD, or IPERGAY studies (Google those acronyms, folks, for the science on this from CDC/NIH/FDA/WHO, don’t take my word), then it’s not just one study; the research guinea pig groups were literally thousands of people, many followed for years and years, in multiple countries on multiple continents. This stuff was in the pipeline like 10 years ago and its been settling out since 2010/2012. It’s no longer merely promising; it’s settled science that truvada-as-prophylaxis works for the negative and that treatment also works to help the positive, BOTH as methods for the prevention of HIV transmission. It’s a good thing the gay community is FINALLY taking notice but why did it take THIS long!?
Hunter0500- “Neg-on-PrEP” profile status means one thing only, that the person so choosing is sharing with the reader an HIV prevention strategy that person is employing. If you want “anything goes” with that person, it’s a better idea for you to “inquire / negotiate within” rather than “assume without.”
Are you fucking kidding me, CdnGreg?!? Remove the status? Hell, why don’t we just remove everything else while we’re at it?
The status is important. I know of multiple guys who are on A4A who are poz and are lying through their fucking teeth about being negative, including putting their status as such on here. But it’s something! And trust me there are ways to get the names out to people without “outing” the poz guys…you just have to point out the discrepancies and people figure it out. (But oh, if my attorney hadn’t told me I’d be liable, I’d take out a fucking newspaper ad and reveal every liar in the city who’s putting others at risk…)
If 4% is correct, then look at it this way. There are 25 school buses and one of the drivers is a registered sex offender. Would you blindly let your kid get on a random bus?
Define ” Negative on Prep” ???
Melvine : Check this out : http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prevention/research/prep/
CDC is the best health organism
Be a MAN find out your status….and post the truth here on A4A. Guys may have questions but there are a lot of POZ friendly guys on here….
I admonish all men and women to always engage in safe sex.That means having your partner cover his cock before engaging in anal or vaginal sex. Do not relay on a drug to protect and if unsure of your partner’s status demand that his cock be covered.
I have been HIV+ for 24 years and unlike many people today saw many of my friends die for this disease. I do not want to see another person die……
Yes I take a cocktail of dugs that allows me to state “undetectable” but those drugs also, as a side effect, have resulted in my being able to state, “incurable lymphoma”…
Please…please..take care….knowing that one has a disease like HIV or lymphoma is a very heavy burden to bear…I’m fearful of being around anyone…because I am vulnerable to so many bugs..such as measles…
Dave…way to go Adam! Thanks for the addition for our profiles and for also taking the lead in HIV prevention. Without knowing Adam has taken another step in the fight against Stigma.Prep can be a game changer in prevention and it also by itself makes neg guys more understanding of us poz guys. Again Hats off to ya Adam !
Dear Dave,
You are not a medical professional, telling people that it is acceptable to have unprotected sex with persons who are undetectable for HIV in the blood (as the risk is “close to zero”) is irresponsible and negligent. Close to zero is not zero and there is a definite risk. So, you went to the doctor 3 weeks ago and he told you the virus is undetectable in blood tests, is it still undetectable today? Will it be undetectable next week?
The virus mutates very rapidly and drugs that suppress replication today may become ineffective tomorrow. I am sure you have read up plenty and know the risks. Yet you are hesitant to express that yes……you having sex with someone puts them at risk. If you are using PREP as a magical shield you are a fool, it is NOT a get out of HIV free card. People STILL get sick using it just as people still get sick having sex with guys who are reported “UNDETECTABLE”.
It seems to me that if you aren’t marketing underwear for various companies in your blogs you are talking about HIV, but it always seems to downplay how dangerous the disease is even when managed.
Dear Taydelas2015 : I am not a medical professional, but since I work for adam4adam and get tested every 30-60 days for the past 10 years (it is free in Montreal) I can assure you that I know more than the average gay man about HIV. My doctor always answers my questions as well if i’m to write a post about HIV and we are helped by positivelite.com as well. So yes, I am aware of everything related to the virus. My doctor is an international HIV searcher who travels to every HIV conferences worldwide to know about the latest updates.
How will adding choices that dilute the fact of negative vs. positive be beneficial to the gay community?
If someone is undetectable, they are pos. If someone is “neg on PrEP” then they are negative.
Diluting facts to assuage individuals concerns about hooking up is irresponsible and just plain stupid.
Thanks, a4a for helping to stop the spread of facts that save lives.
Joe, some people (mainly in big cities) are open mind and open to date and have sex, yes you read me right, with positive undetectable guys. Undetectable means they are taking medication everyday to suppress the virus and they are following up with their doctor on a monthly basis or every 3 months after having good results for many months. By doing this A4A wants to help our friends, brothers, and lovers who are HIV positive undetectable to have the same right as you, to love and be loved. It is as simple as that. I invite you to read on what being HIV undetectable means here : http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prevention/research/prep/
The more you know, the more you will open your heart 🙂
I think that the option ‘neg/on prep’ is a great step, but it’s one of several.
I’d like to see ‘poz undetectable’ included.
How about ‘neg plus,’ which means you don’t have hiv but you do have something else?
Of course you should take self-postings of status with a grain of skeptical salt and make informed decisions, and the more specific the options are, the better.
First, awesome, thanks for including this. I updated my status to reflect PrEP.
Second, to clear a few things up. While the term PrEP is new, the drug it uses — Truvada — is old. The two medications in it have been studied and / or used in one form or another for 20 some years. It’s well tolerated by the majority of people. It’s given to HIV+ people to suppress their virus, to people who had a recent exposure to prevent it from taking hold (PEP), and is given to babies at risk of contracting HIV from their positive mothers. This is an incredibly versatile and safe drug.
Third, to answer an earlier question, “effective” has a use in every day conversation and another used in a medical sense. When taken daily, PrEP is 99% (or more) efficacious at blocking HIV on the individual level. Efficacious means “producing a desired or intended result.” PrEP does this insanely well. It even works if you’ve missed a dose or two.
When you expand out from an individual point of view and look at what kind of impact PrEP will have at a larger, population level, medicine uses the term “effective.” With lots of people, different outcomes can result. At the population level, PrEP is 86% effective at stopping HIV. PrEP itself is still near-perfect at blocking HIV. But since people aren’t, problems pop up.
As a point of comparison, recent research has shown that condoms are 70% effective at blocking HIV at the population level. Yes, condoms still work individually. But adding in other situations to the outcome, they only stop about 3 out of 4 new infections.
One part of PrEP that doesn’t often get mentioned: PrEP requires STD/STIs screens 2-4x a year, depending on the clinic. That’s far more often than most people, even those who use condoms for sex, are screened. Those screens include STIs of the skin and throat, places people regularly forget can also have STIs.
Lastly, PrEP is safer sex — outside of abstention, there’s no such thing as “safe sex” — for HIV. Just like condoms are safer sex for HIV, as is sex with a person whose HIV has been virally suppressed. The one advantage PrEP has is that you control it. You know you’ve taken a pill, that you are pretty damn safe from HIV, and that you are free from any STD/STIs.
It puts the power in your hands.
Dear Blog – are you kidding me? My heart is plenty open. I’m poz friendly, but if I fuck I use condoms. I’m not an idiot. Nor is my heart closed. I survived the 80s and lost ALL of my friends. Times are indeed different now, but those sound bytes you just provided are just that. I understand what undetectable means. I also know that providing a finite list of choices in a menu to those less knowledgeable does a disservice to them. Some will assume that if something is checked, it must be true. I’m not talking about shaming people or not understanding or having empathy for others; I’m talking about your Profile form. And just that. Don’t try to shame me as a defense for a poor business decision. I’ll leave that decision to those that will undoubtedly say, “But his profile said undetectable so I thought I would be safe!” Kharma (or some attorneys) will help this run its course. Before that happens, it would be great if a4a could look at the entire picture – and not have a closed mind (or heart) about the impact that decision will have.
Joe : that is your opinion which you can definitely have. But we will not run our site thinking “some people might not understand or might not be honest about their status” . Imagine if the government/police were running a country thinking like this. there wouldn’t be stop signs and guns would be sold at walmart (Oh that’s a bad example you guys in the US sell guns at walmart)
Joe : Of course we suggest condom as well !!!!! PrEP is not to fuck around and slut yourself out. Even though some use it for that purpose.
The first step to ending the stigma is EDUCATION.
“Neg on PreP” means that you’re HIV negative and that you’re taking the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis called Truvada to greater decrease your chances of contracting HIV. The efficacy of condoms are around 85-90%. Truvada is supposed to be used in conjunction with condoms. It is not to be used as a pass for a free for all bareback/drug-fest. Truvada does NOT protect you from other STI’s. Truvada is great if you have different sexual partners or in a serodiscordant relationship (one positive and one negative), but as I said before Truvada is SUPPOSED to be used in conjunction WITH condoms. Just because someone is taking Truvada does not make them a whore. People calling women whores who elected to take birth control when it first came out. PreP (Truvada) is another tool to help stop spread of HIV/AIDS until there is a cure. So educate yourself and protect yourself. Know your status and if you’re on PreP or are considering taking it, know that it is NOT a scarlet letter.
I’m on Prep and not on truvida but I use common sense to sex. Always safe and when I’m in a relationship its not till after 2 STDs & HIV test are done before I use no condom and continue to get tested every 3 months.. Prep is just an extra step to use with common sense and condoms…
AJ, you’re missing the point. You’re not being put at risk by liars, you’re being put at risk by guys who think they’re neg. Guys who know they’re poz, even if they’re liars, are probably being treated and therefore have very low viral loads. Guys who don’t know they’re poz (and tell everyone they’re neg) are not being treated and have really really high viral loads. The shame that you are trying to place on poz guys creates an environment where people avoid being tested. If you want to have bb sex, then you’re just as responsible, even if the guy is poz and a liar. I’m not saying that you should not discuss you’re status with your partner, absolutely you should. I’m just saying it shouldn’t be part of a profile. It’s private and only needs to be shared with someone that you’re sleeping with, not someone who’s simply looking at your profile. And btw, there’s no obligation to disclose in Canada if you use a condom and are undetectable.
Dave,
I am a Medical professional and as one I am telling you- people read your posts and trust that you are accurate and knowledgeable, however your resources….Positivelite is nothing more than an online magazine of HIV positive bloggers who are relaying skewed and subjective information and your “international HIV searcher” for a doctor…how do we know that you understand what he is telling you or that he knows what he is talking about?
So you work for Adam4adam, and get tested every one to two months per your response. I had no idea that being tested would make you an expert on HIV. Do the persons selling ad space and working in marketing at Adam4Adam also counsel on medically related subjects or just the people that blog the pornographic stories and post blog subjects like “Tatum Channing-Hot or Not?”
Looking at the majority of responses to this blog you need to go with and report the CDC(or another reputable knowledge source’s) report on PrEP that states and I quote: “prep has shown to be effective in reducing up to 90% of transmissions”(about the same as condom usage.
“In Partners PrEP, participants in the tenofovir-plus-emtricitabine group with detectable levels of the medication
experienced a 90 percent reduction in risk for HIV infection; in the tenofovir- only group, the presence of medication inthe blood was associated with an 86 percent reduction in risk”.
Placing HIV status descriptions in your profile options may lead people to lie about their status; not ask about HIV status after having read the status you posted 3 years ago when you made the profile; mislead the uniformed; and worst of all it also sends an air though the community that as long as you are either undetectable or on Prep you are safe to have unprotected sex with. HIV still kills people…blog about that next time.
Source: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prep/pdf/PrEPfactsheet.pdf
197s (Dylan)- miss use of PrEP medications could very well lead to a resistant strain of HIV that would render currently effective medications useless. I suggest before you attempt to educate another member of what can and cant happen you take a microbiology course and focus on virology like some of us have.
The virus is very unstable and mutates frequently thus the numerous strains. taking PrEP here and there as desired could very well lead to drug resistance.
And now you know.
@blog
Yes, PrEP is for fucking and slutting yourself out. It’s for being pure and chaste. It’s for committed relationships. It’s for open situations. It’s for mixed status partners. It’s for those with lots of experience and those with none.
HIV doesn’t discriminate based on how many or how few partners a person has had. A 99% effective block is a 99% effective block, be ye a slut or a saint.
Let’s get real…..a majority of guys on here out and out lie from: their age, cock size, fitness, relationship status, physical stats, to sexual preferences and abilities. I personally know one guy on here who is pos and changed his profile to not show that, so he would at least have a chance to meet for sexual relief. Honestly, ever time you engage in sex you are at risk of contracting some type of veneral disease….from syphiless(sp?) and hiv to everything in between. Most of the time we think more with the little brain in our penis than the one that sit atop our neck.
Taydelas, I never said I was an expert …?!??!
Dude we are giving the option to add Neg on PrEP in your profile, if you’re not happy, simply send a email to our support.
Feel free to submit your blog post about “hiv kills” , i’ll be wasting for it 🙂
Dave
About PrEP: Yes, Truvada is all fine and good, but it STILL costs upwards of nine HUNDRED dollars for a 30 days supply. Some insurances will NOT cover the cost of a drug you don’t need for a disease (i.e. if you don’t have the disease the drug treats), so a lot of people will be left out in the cold. If HIV is the “public health threat” the government is saying it is, why are all but one HIV drugs STILL under patent and cost hundreds of dollars? Yank the patents.
Poz guys lying: And why do you all think poz guys lie in the first place? Could it possibly be they’re sick and tired of getting treated like garbage? as if they can transmit the virus if they even TOUCH your junk with their hands? The fearmongering and stigmatization of HIV has got to stop.
Risk of transmission: If my experience is typical, HIV must be a lot harder to transmit than popular thinking says it is. Before my diagnosis I had unprotected sex with 7 different guys who are all still negative. Three of them bottomed for me WITH ejaculation, one of them 4 times. All still negative. ALL 7 guys blew me and swallowed, anywhere from 3-4 times up to twice a month for 4 YEARS. Guess what? All still negative. Yes, yes, there are many factors that make transmission more or less likely, but when you have a guy thinking he’s in danger if a poz guy merely touches his penis with his hand, then there is an information problem out there.
http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/drugresistance/en/
Done
Before anything else, I am an MD.
The irony of this whole thing is that because of research findings of 0 transmission from undetectable patients even through unprotected sex, you actually have greater odds of getting HIV even from a person (maybe even with a condom on) who tested negative today (unless it was the PCR RNA viral load method: the same one that indicates real-time undetectable viral loads) than from having unprotected sex with a positive person on meds with undetectable load. Testing negative for HIV using the ELISA method (which is what most people get) only means you tested negative for the HIV antibody proteins, which takes an average of 3 months for most people to develop titers high enough of to be detected. That means your negative test today only indicates that you PROBABLY did not have the virus 3 MONTHS AGO, not today. So unless you absolutely had no sexual contact with anybody (not even oral) for the last 6 months (the maximum time in the window period), you are not guaranteed that you do not have HIV in your system right this moment even with a negative ELISA test today. And that only goes for the ones who got tested TODAY. There are much more who do not get tested regularly, if at all.
This is the reason why the WHO has decided, after being backed up by research, that Truvada in addition to proper/consistent use of condoms PLUS getting HIV-positive people treated to get their viral loads down to undetectable in combination is the best way to prevent transmission. 35% of positive people (and that includes people who tested negative with ELISA recently) in the US alone are estimated to be unaware of (or refuse to know) their status. And that is where the danger lies, NOT with the positive people on meds.
A4A should be applauded for doing this instead of spreading irrational fear.
DR Feelgood : thanks mister. . I will copy paste your info and post it tomorrow as a blog post 🙂
Dave
I would like to rectify one data from my previous post. The latest data (Dec 2014) from the CDC states that 1 in 7 (14%) HIV-positive people in the US are not aware they are. It was 1 in 5 (20%) in Nov 2011. Although those are relatively lower than 35% and the constant decrease in trend through time is good indication that we are headed in the right direction, it by no means lessens the danger of getting HIV from those unaware of their HIV infection. It would be prudent to emphasize again that they are THE primary source of new infections, not the on-treatment and certainly not the undetectable population.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/HIVFactSheets/Challenges/TooFewPeople.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238399.php
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16791020
Oh yeah, another pill for people to take.
This whole “undetectable” crap is so irresponsible. What are you trying to achieve, what’s the point ? Are we suppose to chose to have sex with the lesser of 2 evils? Now all infected individuals will be “undectable”. Either you are hiv positive or negative. Until there’s some miraculous cure everyone needs to wrap it up!!
Another Label, another problem.. I do not agree with the use of “Undetectable” neither Neg PrEP. It only sets confusion. Let’s stop being hypocrites, we need to stop beating around the bushes. You’re either safe or not, neg or positive. Keep it real, get tested, know your status and care for yourself and the ones around you. Simple.