”What are the advantages of knowing my status?”

There are many benefits in knowing your HIV status. Whether you are positive or negative, knowing this can inform your choices about your health, treatments and sexual behaviour.

If the test is negative, it will set your mind at ease and you can plan how to stay negative. A negative result however does NOT mean you are immune to HIV: you could still become infected in the future if you fuck or get fucked without a condom.

If your result is positive then you can start to do something about it.

There are drugs which can control HIV and prevent HIV-related illnesses. These drugs have radically improved the quality of life of many people living with HIV. If you know your status, you can have access to this medical care and support at a time when they will be most effective.

Even if you caught HIV a long time ago, anti-HIV treatments may still help you to recover from the damage done to your immune system by HIV but they may not be as effective as they would have been had you started them earlier. Your doctor will advise you when the best time is to start any anti-HIV medication.

Understandably, some gay and bisexual men put off having a test. They may consider the whole process too stressful or fear the effects of stigma and discrimination. There are support agencies in Lothian able to help with these issues.

At Gay Men’s Health in Edinburgh, trained volunteers are available to support you through the whole process of thinking about testing, having a test, getting results and dealing with the outcomes. To arrange to speak to one of these volunteers, call Gay Men’s Health on 0131 558 9444.

You can also speak to one of the Health Advisors at the GUM clinic on 0131 536 2103