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Next to its benefits for HIV prevention, PrEP may have psychosocial benefits relating to improved quality of sex life. The aim of the current study was to investigate the onset of changes in the quality of sex life and sexual pleasure of PrEP users in the first months of commencing PrEP use. Moreover, we investigated what factors were related to the quality of sex life of PrEP users. We recruited 145 participants via the Dutch PrEP-advocacy website PrEPnu.nl, and they received follow-up questionnaires after three and six months. We found that PrEP users reported an increase in the quality of their sex life, which was related to reduced fear of HIV since they started using PrEP but not to decreased condom use. PrEP users were more interested in experimenting with sex practices, but they did not always feel more desirable as a sex partner because of PrEP use. Health-care providers and health promotion campaigns could emphasize the positive effects of PrEP on the quality of sex life, in addition to the HIV-preventive effects of PrEP, to decrease PrEP stigma and increase PrEP uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of biomedical HIV prevention methods, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), holds the potential to overcome the serodivide. We investigated the attitudes of PrEP users towards having sex with partners living with HIV. PrEP users in the Netherlands were recruited online and completed three questionnaires over a period of six months. We investigated changes over time in feelings of fear of HIV, comfort, and attitudes towards condom use when having sex with men living with HIV (MLHIV). A majority of PrEP users in our sample (up to 71.6%) had sex with MLHIV. Feeling comfortable to have sex with MLHIV did not change over time, but was already at a high level at T1. Most importantly, feeling safe not to use condoms with HIV-positive partners significantly increased, and did so in a rather short period of time after the onset of PrEP use (3-6 months). Taken together, the findings suggest that that PrEP may contribute to decreasing the serodivide between MSM rather quickly after the onset of PrEP use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of informal PrEP users regarding access to PrEP and PrEP-related healthcare, community responses, sexual behavior and well-being. We interviewed 30 men who have sex with men (MSM) in semi-structured online interviews between March and August 2018. Interviews were analyzed using interpretive description. Informal PrEP users were well informed about the use of PrEP, but sometimes did not make use of renal testing. Participants reported a lack of PrEP knowledge among healthcare providers, which limited their access to PrEP and put them at risk, as they received incorrect information. Although some participants reported negative reactions from potential sex partners, most received positive reactions and were sometimes seen as more desirable sex partners. PrEP healthcare services should not only be accessible to formal PrEP users, but also to PrEP users who procure PrEP informally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]