Look after yourself. Stay safe.

1. Before: PrEP

PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is medicine for people without HIV that greatly reduces the chance of getting HIV. The World Health Organization recommends it as an additional prevention choice for people who may be exposed to HIV, as part of a wider prevention plan.

• Pills: the most common option. Depending on your country and provider, taken daily or, for some men, only around the days you have sex (CATIE explains the 2-1-1 schedule).
• Shots: long-acting injections given by a provider. The WHO now recommends injectable options, including a twice-yearly one. Availability varies by country.
• First step: an HIV test, to make sure PrEP is right for you, then regular check-ins.
• Good to know: PrEP prevents HIV only. It doesn't prevent other STIs. Condoms, testing and vaccines help with those.
• Cost: very different around the world. In Brazil, SUS health units and testing centres (CTAs) offer it free (Ministério da Saúde). In the US, most health insurance plans must cover it. Check your country below.

2. How to get it, wherever you are

Start with your national health service or a local sexual health clinic. Not sure PrEP is offered where you live? The Global PrEP Tracker from PrEPWatch shows PrEP programs country by country. Then jump to your country:

Local angle: New York City

• NYC Sexual Health Clinics offer PrEP, PEP, testing and treatment. Anyone 12 or older can be seen, regardless of immigration status. There's a sliding-scale fee, and if you can't pay it, you can still get services.
• Find more clinics on the NYC Health Map or by calling 311. Elsewhere in the state, see the NY State Department of Health.
• In the US, the CDC notes PrEP must be free under almost all health insurance plans, and assistance programs exist if you're uninsured.

3. Test regularly

Knowing your status is the base of everything. The WHO counts testing for HIV and other STIs as a core part of prevention, and if you're on PrEP, testing is part of every check-in. Free or low-cost testing exists in many countries: ask a sexual health clinic, your national health service or a local HIV organization. In the US, CDC GetTested finds free, confidential testing near you.

4. U=U: Undetectable = Untransmittable

People with HIV who take HIV medicine and keep an undetectable viral load will not transmit HIV to their sex partners (WHO, CDC, Government of Canada). Treatment keeps people healthy, and it's prevention too. Stigma has no place here, in any language.

5. Doxy PEP

Doxy PEP is an antibiotic (doxycycline) taken within 72 hours after sex that can reduce the chance of syphilis, chlamydia and, in some studies, gonorrhea. In the US, the CDC recommends that providers discuss it with gay and bisexual men and transgender women who had one of those infections in the last 12 months. Guidance differs by country, so ask your clinic. It doesn't prevent HIV or herpes.

6. After: PEP within 72 hours

7. Mental health & wellness

Stress, coming out (or not), loneliness, body image: it all lands in your body too. Talking helps. If you're in danger right now, call your local emergency number. In the US, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline answers calls and texts at 988, 24/7, and in NYC NYC 988 adds chat. Elsewhere, your national health service can point you to a free, confidential line. Sleep, movement, good food and, yes, regular massage are part of the plan.

Official sources: global first, then by country

General health information only, not medical advice. Gay Massage NYC is not a health care provider. Always talk to a doctor or clinic about your own situation.