PrEP for sex workers: protection built for frequent exposure

Pick protection that stays on

With frequent partners, you want PrEP that's always at full strength:

• Daily PrEP (Truvada or Descovy) — reliable if you keep a routine.
• Long-acting injection — Apretude every 2 months or lenacapavir twice a year — nothing to remember, ideal for busy or unpredictable schedules.
• On-demand 2-1-1 is not a good fit here — it's only for anal sex in men and needs pre-planning. Choose daily or an injection instead.

Remember the protection window: ~7 days (anal) / ~20 days (vaginal) on pills. Compare on the comparison page.

Your STI & safety routine

• Test every 3 months (or more) — throat, rectum and urethra/vagina, since most infections are silent.
• Ask about Doxy-PEP — doxycycline within 72 h after sex to cut bacterial STIs. How it works →
• Keep condoms in the mix — PrEP is HIV-only, and condoms cut STI and pregnancy risk too.
• Get the hepatitis A, B and HPV vaccines.
• PrEP lapse + a high-risk exposure under 72 h? PEP is your emergency backstop.

Confidential care, no judgment

• You don't have to disclose your work to get PrEP — but a provider who knows can tailor testing and support.
• Many community organisations and sexual-health clinics specialise in supporting sex workers, including on a sliding scale or free.
• Telehealth can deliver PrEP discreetly if clinics are hard to reach — see how to get PrEP.
• New genital symptom? It's almost always an STI, not PrEP — check the symptom map and get swabbed.

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