One of the more devastating moments in a person’s life is finding out that a spouse or partner has been diagnosed with HIV. In the end, such a diagnosis results in a whole host of considerations and concerns. Towards the top of the list is the issue of what can be done in order to be intimate and sexual with a spouse or partner that has been diagnosed with HIV. At the foundation of any sexual connection with a spouse or partner that is afflicted with HIV should be the proper use of condoms. In the end, condoms provide you with the best line of defense when it comes to preventing the transmission of HIV from partner to partner. With this in mind, there are some facts and factors that you need to keep in mind when it comes to using condoms to prevent the transmission of AIDS.

First, you need to make sure that you need use condoms consistently. You cannot use them occasionally or only for some types of sexual activity and not others. The bottom line is that you need to use condoms each and every time you have any type of sexual conduct or engage in any sort of sexual activity with an infected partner. Second, in addition to consistency, you need to make sure that you use condoms correctly. In this regard, you need to follow the directions made available to you with each condom package for putting on, using and then taking off a condom. The failure to follow these directions is the most significant reason why condoms fail to work correctly. Third, you absolutely must make certain that you use only those condoms that have not reached their expiration date. Condoms do not last forever and should never be used when they have reached their expiration date. Fourth, you need to make certain that you store condoms correctly as well. Once again, you will want to follow the directions that are set forth on the condom package when it comes to the storage of these products. Finally, if you have a partner that is infected with HIV, it is important that you obtain testing yourself to determine your own HIV status with regularity. While you can take all of the necessary safe sex steps to work to prevent the spread of HIV, nothing is 100% effective in this regard. Therefore, it is important for you to have an HIV test from time to time. Most medical experts recommend obtaining such a test every six months. By being tested regularly, you will be in the best possible position to proactively deal with an HIV infection should you ever face such a condition of your own.

A group of Swiss researchers may be sending some pretty mixed messages when it comes to AIDS prevention. It seems that this group of researchers has concluded that patients that are using retroviral drugs do not need to worry about using a condom because they cannot pass on the AIDS virus to their partners. We are definitely on board with UNAIDS and the World Health Organization. When it comes to AIDS prevention, you certainly don’t want to take unnecessary risks. Nonetheless, we feel it is equally important to educate our readers about the latest research.

According to the report, which was published by Switzerland’s Federal AIDS Commission, couples do not need to worry about wearing condoms if just one partner is HIV positive and is utilizing retroviral therapy. In order to be considered safe, the affected partner needs to be consistently following the therapy and must demonstrate that the virus has been successfully suppressed in the blood for a minimum of six months. Aside from the fact that this research is a smack in the face against current AIDS prevention campaigns, there are also some flaws in the research. First of all, the research focused solely on heterosexual couples and did not consider forms of sex other than vaginal intercourse. In addition to using condoms for AIDS prevention, there are other steps you can take in order to prevent becoming infected. First, remaining in a monogamous relationship can severely reduce your chances of getting infected. If this is not possible for you, try to keep your sexual partners to a minimum. Another key to AIDS prevention is to get yourself tested on a regular basis. This is a particularly important part of AIDS prevention if you lead a very sexual life and engage in sexual activity with many different partners. After all, the primary method of AIDS prevention is to keep the disease from spreading. Of course, with the help of condoms, you will also severely reduce the risk of getting AIDS or passing it on to others.