No HIV for Me: Protect Yourself from HIV with PrEP and PEP

Watch to learn about PrEP and PEP, effective tools to protect yourself from HIV

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HealthyWomen content is for informational purposes only. Please consult your healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.


Medically reviewed by Jeffrey Kwong, DNP, MPH, AGPCNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN

Narrator: Think you’re not at risk for HIV? Think again! Anyone who’s having sex without a condom is at risk of getting HIV. And, when it comes to protecting yourself, there are really good options out there.

The first one is called PrEP, which stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. It comes as a pill or a shot — and it lowers your risk of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use by a lot!

The second is an emergency medication called post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP. If you take it within 3 days of a possible HIV exposure, it can keep you from getting the virus.

The sooner you take PEP, the better it works. So don’t wait!

Both PrEP and PEP need a prescription. So talk to your healthcare provider about how you can stay HIV-free.

This resource was created with support from Gilead.

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