Telling sexual partners

Finding out that you have HIV might have implications for your sexual partners.

There are lots of reasons why you might want to talk to your sexual partner(s) about HIV, but there are lots of reasons why you might not want to. It's something you'll have to decide for yourself. Some people make sure that they tell their partner(s), other make selective decisions about who to tell and when, and other people never tell their sexual partner(s).

The following information might be helpful when thinking about the pros and cons of telling your sexual partner(s).

Being open about having HIV can mean that you're able to talk to your partner(s) about the risks of HIV transmission, how you can reduce these risks and the kind of sex you're both comfortable with. Being open about having HIV could mean that you're more relaxed and at ease about sex.

But it could be that because you're not going to have sex that involves any risk of HIV transmission, or are going to use condoms, that you don't see a need to tell your partner(s).

In some circumstances telling a partner may not be practical, expected or welcome.

And it cannot be ignored or denied that some people have been rejected, abused or even assaulted by a partner who they disclosed to.

So it's something you may find that you need to think through or discuss with someone who can offer support such as a trusted friend, a health adviser, or a confidential telephone helpline such as THT Direct 0845 12 21 200. Talking to other people with HIV about how they deal with this issue might also be helpful.

There is no legal obligation to tell your sexual partners that you have HIV. But it's important to know that the 'reckless' transmission of HIV is a crime and several people have been sent to prison in the UK after they infected a sexual partner (or partners) with HIV. The cases have involved people who did not tell their partners they were HIV-positive before having unprotected sex. For more information see the section on disclosing your HIV status to sexual partners in the section HIV and the law .