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Frequently Asked Questions - HIV Positive

If I’m positive, what difference does it make if I get tested?The biggest and best reason to be tested is to help you to live years longer. Some people don't find out their HIV status until they are forced to go to the doctor for the diarrhea that won’t stop, or they end up in emergency rooms with pneumonia. These people have already progressed to AIDS. If they had known their HIV status earlier, they could have gotten medications when they would have been most effective. Regular medical checkups are able to detect changes before they become major health problems.

If two people already know they are HIV+, there is no reason to practice safer sex, right? Wrong. It is possible for someone to get re-infected, introducing another and possibly more virulent strain of the virus into their body. Let’s say that one person had not been diligent in taking their medication, and has become resistant to them. This person re-infects their partner, who in turn could very well be resistant to the medications that would help deal with this new strain.

If a woman is pregnant and HIV+, will her baby be positive too? If a woman is pregnant and HIV+, there is a one in three (33%) chance that her baby will be positive. However, if the woman gets on AZT therapy after her 14th week, the chances her baby will be positive decreases to approximately 7.8%.

It is important for all pregnant women to be tested for HIV early in pregnancy. If they are at high risk, they should be tested again during the pregnancy and again at delivery.