I am an HIV negative male who is in a relationship with another male who was recently diagnosed. We have been having protected sex since his discovery. He is about to begin treatment. My question is, "What is the risk of my becoming infected if he undetectable and I am exclusively the insertive partner?"

Hi there:

Your risk in a situation like this would be lowered. There are some studies that suggest that if one partner has been undetectable for over six months, then the risk to the negative partner becomes negligible.

That being said, I would encourage you to continue to using condoms for penetrative sex. I would also suggest talking to your partner (and possibly his or your doctor) about the use of PEP should a condom break. PEP is a course of HAART that if started within 72 hours (ASAP is best), reduces the likelihood of transmission greatly. As the insertive partner, it is certainly up to you to decide if the risk even warrants the use of PEP. In addition, PEP is very expensive, and is often not covered by insurance. There are many factors to consider.

I hope this helps.

In health,

Richard