HIV Prevention Meds: PrEP and PEP

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is great for preventing HIV, but it complicates blood screening.

Interference with Tests

PrEP reduces the viral load of HIV so much that even our sensitive screening tests might miss an active infection. A donor on PrEP could catch HIV, but test negative (False Negative), endangering the recipient.

Waiting Period

You must stop taking oral PrEP/PEP for 3 months before donating. This allows any potential virus to multiply enough to be detected by our tests. Safety first!