This relationship is also highlighted in studies on
serosorting (selection of partners according to their HIV status) and uses of rapid testing.
Other factors, such as unique
serosorting dynamics, may play a role as well (26).
In effect, although not always labelled as such, what the participants in these studies report is what researchers have referred to as
serosorting, which is the practice of only engaging in sexual practices that can transmit HIV with partners who have concordant HIV-statuses (Suarez & Miller, 2001; Van de Ven et al., 2002).
Serosorting has also been a practice adopted by MSM, in which the choice of sexual partners or using condoms is done selectively based on serological HIV status.
Researchers found the decrease in condom use wasn't explained by
serosorting (choosing only partners believed to have the same HIV status) or antiretroviral drug use.
Stigma and hepatitis C transmission among HIV-positive '
serosorting' gay men," Culture, Health and Sexuality, vol.
But given the availability of alternative biomedical and behavioral interventions for HIV, including preexposure prophylaxis and
serosorting, it is quite difficult to increase condom use.
Resilience, syndemic factors, and
serosorting behaviors among HIV-positive and HIV-negative substance-using MSM.
Subsequently,
serosorting between those couples reaches approximately a quarter.
Predictors of
serosorting and intention to serosort among men who have sex with men, San Francisco.
(98) Meanwhile, safer sex campaigns, antiretroviral therapies,
serosorting, harm reduction practices, and pre-exposure prophylaxis did not materialize solely so that men could have sex with other men without consequence.
Although the incidence of HIV has remained stable, the incidence of syphilis has been increasing disproportionately possibly due to adaptive behaviour like
serosorting among HIV concordant couples and oral sex that decrease transmission of HIV but not syphilis (3).