Even Me

Did you know there’s a pill that helps prevent HIV?

PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) is a daily medication for people who don’t have HIV but may be at risk. When taken correctly, PrEP is nearly 100% effective at preventing HIV.

You can ask your doctor:

• “Can you tell me more about PrEP?”

• “I heard PrEP can help prevent HIV – is it right for me?”

• “Is PrEP available here in Western Australia?”

• “I’d like to know if I can start PrEP.”

PrEP is for everyone, including heterosexual people, and people from diverse backgrounds. If your doctor doesn’t know about it, you can find another doctor who does.

🔗 Learn more about PrEP (WAAC)
🔗 Find a doctor who understands PrEP and HIV (ASHM)

PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) is different – it’s taken after possible exposure to HIV (e.g., if a condom breaks or you had unprotected sex).

PEP must be started within 72 hours, and the sooner the better.

You can get PEP at:

• Hospital emergency departments

• Sexual health clinics

• Some GPs familiar with HIV prevention

🔗 Find PEP near you (Get PEP)

While PrEP and PEP protect against HIV, they don’t stop other sexually transmissible infections (STIs) like syphilis,  gonorrhoea and chlamydia.

Condoms are an easy and effective way to protect yourself and your partners, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. They are available at pharmacies, clinics, and even supermarkets.

🔗 Free condoms for Organisations (WAAC)

You can ask your doctor or GP for an HIV test at any time. It is good to get routine HIV tests to know your status, even if you don’t think you are at risk.

Some doctors might not offer an HIV test unless you ask – and that’s okay! Everyone can ask for an HIV test, even you.

Some ways you can ask your doctor include:

• “Can I get an HIV test today?”

• “Do you think I should be tested for HIV?”

• “I’m worried about HIV — can we talk?”

Don’t have Medicare? No problem. There are clinics offering free or low-cost HIV testing in WA, and your usual doctor may also be able to help.

If you are visiting your doctor, make sure to call ahead and let them know you don’t have medicare to make sure there is no cost.

Free clinics can be found below:

🔗 M Clinic (for LGBTIQA+ identifying male and trans people)
🔗 SHQ (for everyone)
🔗 Royal Perth Hospital Sexual Health Clinic (for everyone)

🔎 Learn more and find a testing clinic

If you’re nervous about seeing a doctor, you can also test yourself at home using an ATOMO HIV self-test kit.

Testing at home takes only 15 minutes and requires just a small drop of blood.

You can buy ATOMO HIV self-test kits online, at select pharmacies (including Pharmacy 777), or at M Clinic.

Just remember – any positive results should be confirmed with a trip to the doctor, just to be sure.

🔗 Order ATOMO HIV Self Test Kit Online

Antiretrovial Medications (ARV) work to reduce the amount oh HIV in the body, also known as your viral load.

Once your viral load is low enough, it becomes what is referred to as undetectable. Someone with an undetectable viral load cannot pass the virus on to others, meaning that they are untransmittable.

This is where the term undetectable = untransmittable, or U=U comes from.

A person living with HIV must continue to take their ARVs as prescribed to keep their viral load undetectable, and to prevent HIV from impacting their health.

🔗 Learn more about U=U

HIV can sometimes pass from a parent to a baby during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding, especially if the HIV is left untreated in the parent.

With good medical care, this can almost always be stopped, and a person with HIV can have a safe and healthy baby.

If you are HIV positive and wanting to have a baby, speak to your doctor about your options, and they will provide medical care to ensure a smooth pregnancy where your baby is HIV free.

🔗 Learn more about HIV treatment and support

in Australia, doctors are trained to talk about sexual health and HIV testing without judgement. You have the right to choose a doctor who speaks your language or understands your culture.

When talking to your doctor, you can say:

• “Can I ask you a question about sexual health?”

• “I want to check if I need an HIV or STI test.”

• “I heard about PrEP — is that something for me?”

By law, doctors must keep everything confidential, including your visa status, your sexual history, and any test results.

Talking to a partner about sexual health testing and HIV prevention is a powerful way to protect each other.

Knowing your sexual health status and theirs can help prevent the spread of STIs, and can also help keep yourself and others safe.

When talking about sexual health with a partner, you can ask:

• “Have you ever been tested for HIV or STIs?”

• “I want to get tested. Want to do it with me?”

• “Have you heard about PrEP or PEP?”

• “Let’s talk about condoms and keeping safe.”