But little is known about how it affects other aspects of male same-sex intimacy – in particular, how it influences thinking about parenthood. There is growing evidence of how the awareness of ‘being undetectable’ affects gay men’s sex lives (Bourne et al. This shift is captured in the slogan ‘Undetectable Equals Untransmittable’, or ‘U = U’, launched by Prevention Access Campaign in 2016. The dominant clinical position has shifted from the recognition that having an undetectable viral load significantly reduces the risk of HIV transmission to the more recent acknowledgement that, for people living with HIV whose viral load is undetectable, there is effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to a sexual partner (Cohen 2019, Rodger et al. It is now established that people living with HIV who have an undetectable viral load and adhere to antiretroviral treatment cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
Our findings offer new insights into how biomedical knowledge is incorporated into people’s understandings of living with HIV, raising important questions about how the meanings of being undetectable are communicated. The men rarely mentioned being undetectable as relevant to parenthood and, when prompted, some said that they did not fully understand the mechanics of HIV transmission.
However, whereas clinicians talked about sperm washing as an historical technique, which is no longer necessary, patients spoke of it as a current tool. Both groups, unprompted, frequently referred to sperm washing as a method enabling safe conception. But how does it affect gay men’s reproductive behaviours? And what influence does it have on views about parenthood at a time when gay fatherhood has become more socially accepted and publicly visible? Drawing on qualitative interviews with patients and clinicians at four HIV clinics in London, we identify differences in how interviewees talked about the possibility of having children for HIV-positive men. Previous research has shown that ‘being undetectable’ changes how HIV-positive gay men experience their sex lives. Maybe he’s actually a fan of the whisky and socks? We have those in abundance too! If he really is the bloke who has everything and you’re still struggling to find birthday gift ideas for him, treat him to a gift experience? He can rival Top Gear with a car experience or check out his favourite team’s stomping ground with a football stadium tour.It is now established that people living with HIV who have an undetectable viral load and adhere to antiretroviral treatment cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partners. You may be looking for something sentimental or maybe you want to give him a good laugh – either way, we want to take the stress out of the gift hunt, so we’ve put together some handy filters on the side of the page so you can narrow down our male birthday gifts by category and recipient.Īre you looking for something a little different from the usual whisky and socks? We’ve got a great collection of personalisable birthday gifts that guarantee something totally unique for him.
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