Does anti-retroviral therapy help?

Does anti-retroviral therapy (ART) really keep you alive for longer, and for how long can you expect to live? How much do anti-retrovirals (ARVs) cost a month, and where are they available? Can you get them from a doctor?

John

What is the safest contraceptive out there?

I come from a strict, religious family who do not encourage or condone sex before marriage. I want to start having sex with my boyfriend and I’m extremely worried about getting pregnant. We have spoken about using condoms, but I wanted to know if there are other forms of birth control I can use without my parents finding out?

How do emergency ARVs prevent you from contracting HIV?

If you are raped by someone who is HIV-positive and you then go on emergency ARVs in order to prevent you getting the disease, how do they stop you from getting HIV? I’ve heard that with normal ARVs you can only take them after your CD4 count has dropped below 200, so how are the emergency ARVs different? How do they stop you from actually getting the disease if you take them right away, but don’t stop you from getting the disease if you wait before you take them?

Will my doctor help me with my ARV treatment?

I was receiving my ARV treatment at my nearest clinic, but now I am on a medical aid, so I’m supposed to be treated by my doctor. However, the clinic staff doesn’t want me to be treated by my doctor, as they say that I will die. They say that the doctors don’t care about us, they only care about money. Is this true, because am confused and scared now?