If you’re chronically online, you’ve probably heard the term “PrEP belly” emerge from the image-obsessed corners of the gay wide web.
For the uninitiated, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a highly effective medication that helps prevent HIV infection in at-risk populations. One of the most important public health tools in modern history, PrEP dramatically reduces transmission rates of a virus that devastated generations of LGBTQ+ people. I take it every day.
At the height of the AIDS crisis — which wasn’t that long ago, by the way —hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. alone died from HIV-related illnesses. But now, just a few decades later, a new (albeit far less nefarious) panic has emerged: the belief that taking PrEP could give you a potbelly.
The rumor seems to have gained traction after a social media comment claimed that celebrity DJ John Summit had “PrEP belly,” according to Them. From there, the problematic discourse swelled and mutated. Gay men across TikTok and X were scrutinizing their stomachs, wondering whether the medication protecting them from HIV was also making them unsexy.
Medical professionals have overwhelmingly agreed that excessive midsection fat is not a common side effect. Some people may experience temporary bloating or digestive discomfort when they first start taking the medication, but these symptoms are generally mild and last only a few days to a few weeks.
