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Taking HIV prevention medication (pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP for short) is an intensely personal decision, and it might feel difficult to talk to your healthcare provider about it. You may feel like there are certain perceptions about the "type of people" who need PrEP, and recognizing that you might be at risk for HIV is a big step.

But remember it's not just you who is at risk for HIV. Since anyone can get HIV through sex, every adolescent and adult who has unprotected sex is at risk. And those risks increase if you drink or do drugs prior to sex. You're not alone, though if you are:

• A man or transgender woman who has sex with other men

• A man or woman whose sexual partner has HIV

• Someone who injects drugs and shares drug equipment

If your partner has HIV and you have the ability to become pregnant, PrEP may not only prevent HIV infection while you're pregnant, but will also reduce the risk of passing HIV to your baby during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

While PrEP is designed to prevent HIV infection, it does not prevent other sexually transmitted infections, so it's still important to use barrier protection such as condoms during sex.

Remember that your healthcare provider is there to help, not judge. Because when taken correctly, PrEP can be at preventing HIV. Your healthcare provider can explain the benefits, as well as the different types of medicine you could take. You might prefer a daily pill or a shot that you get every couple of months. If you choose the shot, you'll have to return to the doctor's office or the clinic on a regular basis, but your healthcare provider can discuss that with you.

If you decide to go on PrEP, your doctor will test you for HIV. It's important to have a negative HIV test before you start PrEP.

There are also programs like that can provide you your prevention medicine at no cost. If you don't have health insurance, test negative for HIV, and your doctor writes you a prescription for PrEP, you can enroll in this program. You'll need the name and phone number of your healthcare provider, and you'll have to come back to the clinic every 3 months to refill your medicine and so the doctor can test you for HIV and make sure you're getting the right treatment.

Most importantly, if you're having trouble taking your medicine or the side effects are bothering you, talk to your healthcare provider before you stop PrEP. They may have strategies that can help, or they can recommend a different type of prevention that might work better for you.

Read previous installments in this series:

For Your Patients: Knowing Your Risk for HIV

For Your Patients: The ABCs of HIV Medication

For Your Patients: What 'U=U' Means for You ... and Your Partner

"Medical Journeys" is a set of clinical resources reviewed by physicians, meant for the medical team as well as the patients they serve. Each episode of this journey through a disease state contains both a physician guide and a downloadable/printable patient resource. "Medical Journeys" chart a path each step of the way for physicians and patients and provide continual resources and support, as the caregiver team navigates the course of a disease.