Question about the undetectable risk in sex

[Rockin]

Hey guys...the other day I was reading an article, I think it was on Aids Day, the 1st. And one thing really caught my attention.

This doctor was saying that, once a HIV+ woman is pregnant and undetectable during the pregnancy, that the risk of the child contracting HIV is less than 2%.

I cannot for the life of me find the link to the article but that's pretty much what the doctor said at one point.

So...it's pretty amazing to consider that the unborn child, who is obviously being affected by everything that goes on inside the woman's body, has close to 0% chance being infected.

And by that logic...would it be safe to say that contracting HIV through, lets say, anal sex with an undetectable person is pretty much impossible? Considering, of course, that said poz guy is undetectable and remains undetectable. That is my question.

I ask this because I see a lot of people, including UND pozzies, who are still so afraid of having sex with their NEG guys or girls.

And by no means I'm advocating unprotected sex...there are many other STD's going around and I still think it could increase some sort of paranoia in the relationship.

I ask this and I put this out there: why are UND guys still so afraid of having any kind of sex with their partners or potential partners? Is it the irrational vs the rational? I see people depressed because they feel they cannot have a healthy sex life anymore and maybe they are feeling this over nothing.

If the doctor was accurate in his statement, I believe you have a higher chance of getting hit by a lightning bolt during a thunderstorm.

[buginme2]

This has been the topic of a lot of research, and its still ongoing.

The theory is an undetectable person has a significantly reduced chance of passing on the virus during unprotected sex.  Thats the basis for the "Treatment as Prevention" model that was part, if not the main, reason for the latest US guidelies suggesting ARV treatment for everyone regardless of CD4 count.

The HPTN 052 study evaluated heterosexuals in commited relationships and found that those who were undetectable had a 97% reduction in transmitting the virus.

Other studies however are more concerning.  A study in Boston examined the semen of positive gay men that were undetectable and found that many had a detectable level in semen even when their blood was undetectable, theoreticall showing transmission was possible.


So yes the risk is reduced, by how much is still debatable.

[Rockin]

This has been the topic of a lot of research, and its still ongoing.

The theory is an undetectable person has a significantly reduced chance of passing on the virus during unprotected sex.  Thats the basis for the "Treatment as Prevention" model that was part, if not the main, reason for the latest US guidelies suggesting ARV treatment for everyone regardless of CD4 count.

The HPTN 052 study evaluated heterosexuals in commited relationships and found that those who were undetectable had a 97% reduction in transmitting the virus.

Other studies however are more concerning.  A study in Boston examined the semen of positive gay men that were undetectable and found that many had a detectable level in semen even when their blood was undetectable, theoreticall showing transmission was possible.


So yes the risk is reduced, by how much is still debatable.

I wonder what the 97% means. I mean...what happened with the 3% then? Some people claim to be UND but maybe are not taking their pills properly, due to denial, fatigue or depression.

Plus, those men could have been going through blips.

I just say this because I feel sad for fellow pozzies who feel depressed with the constant fear of infecting someone even when using protection. People have to start being rational and informing themselves better.