PrEP, or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, helps reduce your risk of contracting HIV.
PrEP is a once daily medication that can reduce your risk of contracting HIV by 92-99%! Isn’t that amazing? A recent study from the CDC found that 1 in 3 gay or bisexual men take PrEP! That’s great news because almost 40,000 people a year get newly diagnosed with HIV. Intersectionality affects rates of HIV infection with higher rates of new infections found among gay and bi men of color and even higher among trans woman of color. QueerDoc wants to help improve access to care for all people- QueerDoc offers sliding scale for visits and partners with Lifelong for PrEP care navigation.
Who should consider taking PrEP:
- people with testicles who have sex with other people with testicles
- people who identify as men who have sex with other men
- people of any gender who have anal receptive practices (bottom anal sex)
- people who have a sexual partner who is HIV positive
- people who have more than 10 sexual partners a year
- people who provide sex work
- people who have recently had a bacterial STI (like gonorrhea or chlamydia)
- people who inject drugs with needles
- people headed to a circuit party or some other event where they may experience more sexual encounters than usual
Things to know when taking PrEP:
- When starting PrEP, it takes at least seven days to reach high levels of protection against HIV.
- When stopping PrEP, individuals should continue using PrEP for four weeks after the last significant exposure.
- PrEP does not protect against other sexually transmitted infections (STI) or pregnancy. It is not a cure for HIV.
Not sure if you should take PrEP?
Talk to your primary care doctor or have an appointment with me through QueerDoc! Also, if you live in or near King County, Lifelong does free PrEP care navigation! PrEP can be expensive and Lifelong helps you sign up for co-pay assistance cards and other financial support to make PrEP accessible to all.
