SHORT ANSWER

Prevention can include PrEP, PEP, condoms, lubricant, STI testing, sterile injection equipment, and HIV treatment with an undetectable viral load.

This guide gives general information to help you prepare for a conversation with a qualified health professional. Your timing, health history, medicines, and local guidance can change what is right for you.

KEY POINTS

What to know

  1. 01

    There is no single right option for everyone.

  2. 02

    Options can be used together.

  3. 03

    A plan can change when your life or relationships change.

FAST FACTS

Fast facts

The most important, source-aligned points for this page—at a glance.

PrEP

Taken before exposure, it greatly lowers the chance of getting HIV.

72h

PEP is emergency prevention and must start within 72 hours.

U=U

Treatment with an undetectable viral load prevents sexual transmission.

HIV prevention infographic showing external and internal condoms, PrEP, HIV treatment, and PEP as prevention options.

INFOGRAPHIC

HIV prevention options

HIV prevention can combine tools that fit the situation and the person's needs.

View CDC source
  • Condoms can help prevent HIV and certain other sexually transmitted infections when used correctly.
  • PrEP is medicine used before possible exposure by people without HIV.
  • HIV treatment can lead to an undetectable viral load and prevent sexual transmission.
  • PEP is emergency medicine that must be started within 72 hours after a possible exposure.

CHANCE OF GETTING HIV PER SEX ACT

Some activities carry more risk than others

Relative chance of getting HIV from sex with a partner who has HIV and is not on treatment.

Relative chance of getting HIV per sex actKissing, touching,and oral sexInsertivevaginal sexReceptivevaginal sexInsertiveanal sexReceptiveanal sexNO / LOWHIGHERChance of HIV transmission

Treatment (U=U), PrEP, and condoms greatly lower—or remove—these risks. This shows relative order, not exact odds.

Source: CDC HIV transmission

ONE ACT · DIFFERENT PROTECTIVE FACTORS

How prevention changes this example

CDC estimates per 10,000 receptive anal sex acts. The sex act stays the same; the protective factor changes.

  1. No protective factorNo condom, PrEP, or ART; the partner with HIV is not virally suppressed.
    138
  2. External condomThe insertive partner uses a condom.
    39
  3. PrEPThe HIV-negative partner uses PrEP optimally or consistently.
    about 1
  4. Treatment + undetectableThe partner with HIV gets and keeps an undetectable viral load.
    0
Why this comparison helps

It shows the effect of prevention tools without suggesting that one population estimate can predict one person’s outcome.

Options can be combined. Your circumstances, correct use, timing, and viral load matter; ask a qualified provider for individual advice.

Source: CDC HIV Risk Reduction Tool

VISUAL SUMMARY

Compare HIV prevention options: understand, check, act

Use the three points below as a quick visual map before reading the detailed guide.

  1. Understand

    There is no single right option for everyone.

  2. Check

    Options can be used together.

  3. Act

    A plan can change when your life or relationships change.

This visual is a guide to the page—not a personal diagnosis or treatment recommendation.

BRING THIS TO A VISIT

Questions worth asking

A short list to help you get clear, personal answers from a provider.

  • Am I a candidate for PrEP or PEP?

  • What testing or follow-up does this option need?

  • What will it cost and how do I access it?

DETAILED GUIDE

A quick guide to Compare HIV prevention options

3 short partsAbout 2 min read
01

What Compare HIV prevention options means for you

Prevention can include PrEP, PEP, condoms, lubricant, STI testing, sterile injection equipment, and HIV treatment with an undetectable viral load. That short answer is the place to begin; what matters next is how it fits your situation—your reason for reading, the timing of any event, and the support you can reach. Treat this guide as a map: it can help you prepare and ask better questions, while a qualified health professional applies the details to you.

02

The essentials for Compare HIV prevention options

Prevention combines tools: PrEP before a possible exposure, PEP as an emergency within 72 hours, condoms with compatible lubricant, sterile injection equipment, and testing. Someone on treatment with an undetectable viral load does not pass HIV on through sex (U=U). Each option has its own follow-up, and a clinician can help combine them—one method does not have to replace the others.

03

Turn it into one next step

You do not need perfect medical words. Note any relevant dates, test names, or medicines, then choose one manageable action. For this page, a useful next step is talk to a prevention service—a suggestion, not a rule. If it feels too big, make it smaller: save a phone number, check opening hours, or tell someone you trust. The plan can change as a result or new information arrives.

READY FOR THE NEXT STEP?

Keep your plan moving.

Talk to a prevention servicePrimary public-health source ↗

WHAT NEXT?

Turn the information into one clear action.

Use the next guide or service pathway to keep moving without having to start over.

Talk to a prevention service

COMMON QUESTIONS

Before you move on

Can this page tell me exactly what I should do?

No. It can help you prepare, but a clinician should assess your individual situation—especially for urgent exposure, symptoms, testing timing, pregnancy, or medicine decisions.

How do I know the information is current?

Core medical claims are linked to public-health sources. Country-specific services, costs, legal rights, and clinical pathways must be locally verified before public launch.

SOURCES & REVIEW

Built for clarity and trust.

Content structure reviewed: 10 August 2026. Medical review and local service verification are required before public launch.

View the primary CDC HIV source