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Protect

Prepare Your Defense

There are various options to protect yourself if you decide to have sex. The more options you combine, the greater your defenses and the more your risk is reduced for contracting HIV and other STDs. 

  • Use condoms from beginning to end

    Condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Get condoms delivered to your home for free!

  • Take PrEP

    PrEP is a highly-effective medication people at risk for HIV take to prevent HIV. Learn how to get PrEP.

  • Get tested for STDs

    If you have another STD, you are more likely to get HIV. Getting tested and treated for other STDs can lower your chances of getting HIV. Many people with an STD may not know they have one because they don't have symptoms. Find a testing site near you.

  • Encourage your HIV+ partner to get in care

    If your partner takes HIV medicine and gets and keeps an undetectable viral load, there is effectively no risk of you getting HIV from sex with your partner. Remember: undetectable = untrasmittable.

  • Choose sexual activities with little to no risk

    Not having sex (also known as being abstinent) is a 100% effective way to make sure you won't get HIV through sex. If you are sexually active, there is little to no risk of getting HIV from oral sex. You can get HIV from vaginal and anal sex through bodily fluids (i.e., blood, semen/cum, pre-seminal fluid/pre-cum, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk). Vaginal sex is less risky for getting HIV than receptive anal sex. Anal sex is the riskiest type of sex for getting or transmitting HIV. Being the receptive partner (bottom) is riskier for getting HIV than being the insertive partner (top).

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