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Please help me understand
May 3, 2008

I am a heterosexual woman of 30, with one partner for the past 8 years and I recently tested positive. I've been advised that my CD4 count reads 243 and my viral load is at 16,400. The thing is my husband has tested negative even though we've never used condoms and so too has my daughter who was born six years ago. I even breast fed her for a full 3 years. How is this possible? Is there the possibility that I may have been misdiagnosed? Needless to say it's causing major problems in my relationship. Is there such a thing as safe sex with my husband now?

Response from Dr. Holodniy

Given that the viral load is detectable and your CD4 count is 243 (normal range is 500-1500), this is unlikely to be a mistake. A repeat set of tests would confirm this. We can't determine the length of infection in you from these tests. If you have been infected for 6 years or longer, you were lucky in that your daughter was not infected. Yes, safe sex is possible and recommended.



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