How to tell your partner about your HIV Status
Are you HIV positive and having difficulty in communicating your status to your partner? Do you develop anxiety when you meet someone new because you are not sure how they will take the news? This article might be helpful.
Communicating your status to your partner especially if you intend to get into a long term relationship with them. You also want to ensure safe sex so as not to transmit the virus to your partner. However, it is not easy opening up about your HIV status. Probably you might be thinking what if telling them leads to rejection and stigmatization. This is a perfectly normal feeling and it is important to know that no matter what happens you were honest and did the right thing.
Being HIV positive is not what it used to be when the virus first surfaced. It is no longer a death sentence and there are medications that help suppress the virus. When taken properly, individuals are undetectable, but it is still important for them to use protection during sex as an extra precaution.
Being undetectable does not mean you would stop communicating your status to your partner. It is preferable for them to make the decision to go all the way with you for themselves with all the necessary tools required.
Below are things to consider and take note of, before you communicate your status to your partner.
Stop beating yourself up
The first battle you would have to fight to live a full life as an HIV positive person is in the mind. You have to know that you are more than your HIV status and it is not your fault. Beating yourself up over it can hinder communication with your partner. Stigmatisation is a valid fear but you have to overcome it internally so as to help with the confidence you need.
You are healthy
There are medications that have made this possible and if they are taken properly you can become undetected. See it as taking supplements to help you live a healthy life.
Don’t choose for your partner
Do not decide for your partner by having sex with them without giving them vital information about your health. In the end, it is their decision to make.
Leave the past
Sometimes bad experiences can affect how we deal with issues of the present. Remember your current partner is not your ex or a previous partner that had no regard for you. It is also important to forget what happened in the past, and how you got the virus. That is not important anymore and can affect your mental health. Let the future be the only thing you see on your horizon.
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