Gay on prep meaning

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Nearly 70% of people living with HIV are homosexual and bisexual men – and thankfully the use of PrEP for HIV prevention is increasing among this group. According to a recent study, the number of gay and bisexual males taking PrEP increased by % from to However, only 35% of gay and bisexual males who were at high-risk of HIV transmission were taking the medication.

It is important that everyone takes the proper precautions to protect themselves from HIV transmission. While some people are at more chance than others due to lifestyle choices or other practices, there is a common misconception that your risk of HIV transmission is higher or lower depending on your sexual orientation or preferred sexual position.

PrEP is designed to help protect any person &#; regardless of sexual orientation &#; from HIV transmission. But, you may be wondering if PrEP could affect you differently or be more or less effective depending on if you are a top, bottom, or vers.

For instance, many tops assume they do not need to take PrEP since they are at a lower risk of contracting HIV than a

About Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is used to reduce the risk of getting HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

PrEP works by stopping HIV from getting into your body and making copies of itself (replicating). You'll only be protected from HIV infection if there are tall enough levels of PrEP in your body, so it's adj to take it correctly.

PrEP can be used by anyone from a community or group that is most at risk of HIV, or people who include sex with people from those networks.

You may benefit from taking PrEP if:

  • you're an HIV-negative human having condomless sex with men, and other people who possess sex within these networks
  • you include a partner (or ex-partner) with HIV
  • your partner (or ex-partner) comes from a country with lofty rates of HIV
  • you have condomless sex with a partner(s) and do not know their HIV status
  • you're a trans or non-binary person and are regularly having condomless sex
  • you exchange sex for money, drugs, shelter or another reason
  • you are injecting drugs

Find out more about who is at risk of getting HIV.

Find out m

What is PrEP?

PrEP stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. It involves a person who doesn’t have HIV, regularly taking a pill to decrease their risk of HIV infection.

It takes some time for the right levels of PrEP to be in your system and this needs to be maintained, particularly if you think you might have more riskier sex encounters.

If you intend to include receptive frontal sex, you need to take PrEP every day for 1 week before and 1 week after sex. The medication takes longer for PrEP to be absorbed into vaginal tissue in comparison to the rectum.

If you intend on having receptive anal sex there are two ways to take PrEP: daily or on-demand.

For most people taking PrEP daily allows them peace of mind that they&#;ll have enough of the medication in their system to prevent HIV exposure even if they miss a dose. However, some people may like to take PrEP just ahead of having sex as you might not be having sex regularly.

This is sometimes referred to as &#;event-based dosing&#; or &#;on-demand dosing&#;. It is important th

What is PrEP?

PrEP or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis is a pill which when taken as directed can practically eliminate your risk of contracting HIV.

Who should take PrEP?

If you are HIV negative and at high risk of HIV then PrEP can stop your peril of contracting HIV. You might be considered at risk of contracting HIV if you:

  • Don’t always use condoms for anal or vaginal sex
  • Are an injecting drug user who doesn’t always apply clean needles
  • Are a sex worker
  • Have a partner who is HIV positive with a detectable viral load or doesn’t take their HIV medication regularly
  • Have had a recent STI (especially a rectal infection or syphilis)
  • Use recreational drugs for chemsex (crystal meth, mephedrone and GHB)
  • Have recently needed PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis)

If any of these factors apply to you, you will most likely be capable to get PrEP for free on the NHS at any GUM clinic across Northern Ireland. To find out more click here.

Who shouldn’t take PrEP?

  • Your partner is HIV positive and ‘undetectable’ as this means their viral load is so low that they cannot transmit HIV onto anyon