Go to Content Go to Navigation Go to Navigation Go to Site Search Homepage
Two men standing in front of green bushes
What is PrEP?

PrEP is a way to help prevent HIV by taking a pill every day. It reduces your risk of getting infected. PrEP is available for people with clinically identified risk factors for HIV. PrEP stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. The word "prophylaxis" means to prevent or control.

How does PrEP work?

PrEP contains two medicines that interfere with HIV's ability to grow and take hold in the body if a person is exposed to HIV.

When taken every day, PrEP can provide a high level of protection against HIV, and is even more effective when it is combined with condoms and other prevention options. In several studies of PrEP usage, the risk of getting HIV was reduced by up to 92% for those who took the pill consistently compared to those who did not take the pill at all. 

People who use PrEP must take the pill every day and return to their health care provider every 3 months for lab monitoring, risk review, and prescription refills.

How do I know if PrEP is right for me?

Make an appointment to talk to a health care provider and determine if PrEP is right for you. If you and your provider decide that PrEP is a good option for you, you can get a prescription through Planned Parenthood.

How do I pay for PrEP?

PrEP is covered by most insurance programs, but if you do not have insurance, Planned Parenthood can direct you to medication assistance programs that may help pay for PrEP.

What should I do before my appointment?

Do your research. Seek out information that will help you make a decision and have an informative conversation with your health care provider.

It may also be helpful to make a list of questions for your health care provider, as well as the reasons why you think PrEP would be right for you. Some questions you might ask yourself and/or provider are:

  • Would PrEP be a good option for me?
  • How much would PrEP lower my risk of HIV infection?
  • What else can I do to lower my risk of HIV infection?
  • Will the daily pill work for my routine?
  • Can I get help paying for PrEP?
  • How often will I be tested for HIV and other STDs?
  • Will you prescribe and manage PrEP for me?
Sources

The Centers for Disease Control, Act Against AIDS and Start Talking. Stop HIV.

Call 1-866-600-6886 for more info!

Call now

Planned Parenthood cares about your data privacy. We and our third-party vendors use cookies and other tools to collect, store, monitor, and analyze information about your interaction with our site to improve performance, analyze your use of our sites and assist in our marketing efforts. You may opt out of the use of these cookies and other tools at any time by visiting Cookie Settings. By clicking “Allow All Cookies” you consent to our collection and use of such data, and our Terms of Use. For more information, see our Privacy Notice.

Cookie Settings

Planned Parenthood cares about your data privacy. We and our third-party vendors, use cookies, pixels, and other tracking technologies to collect, store, monitor, and process certain information about you when you access and use our services, read our emails, or otherwise engage with us. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences, or your device. We use that information to make the site work, analyze performance and traffic on our website, to provide a more personalized web experience, and assist in our marketing efforts. We also share information with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners. You can change your default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of required cookies when utilizing our site; this includes necessary cookies that help our site to function (such as remembering your cookie preference settings). For more information, please see our Privacy Notice.

Marketing

On

We use online advertising to promote our mission and help constituents find our services. Marketing pixels help us measure the success of our campaigns.

Performance

On

We use qualitative data, including session replay, to learn about your user experience and improve our products and services.

Analytics

On

We use web analytics to help us understand user engagement with our website, trends, and overall reach of our products.