POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: mistakemade on June 18, 2013, 05:42:06 am
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Dear Forum.
Two nights ago, I had a brief (five minute) unprotected anal sex experience. I was of course using bad judgement and under the influence. I was the top and I ejaculated. My question is - should I go to the clinic tomorrow and get PEP. It would be within the 72 hours.
I haven't had sex in over two years. I lost all judgement. I am so embarrassed by my behavior. I just don't know what to do. I have never had unprotected sex.
Any advise or direction would be appreciated.
Thanks.
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Mistake,
I deleted your second, unnecessary post so that you still have two free posts left. We always make the assumption that the other person is hiv positive - that's why your second post was unnecessary.
You have had a risk and you do need to test - although as the insertive partner, PEP is on the overkill side.
Hiv is a fragile, difficult virus to transmit and it's more difficult to transmit from a bottom to a top. The fact that you ejaculated has nothing to do with your own risk level. You are not likely to end up poz over this brief, insertive encounter.
Whether you seek PEP for this low level of risk is entirely up to you.
If you do go on PEP, you need to be aware that it will increase your testing window period by same amount of time you take PEP - four weeks.
That means the earliest you should test is six weeks post-PEP, and again at three months post-PEP for a conclusive negative result.
You should also have a rapid test BEFORE you are prescribed PEP, to make sure you're not already hiv positive and just don't know it. This is proper PEP protocol, although some doctors do not seem to be aware of this and some will skip the pre-PEP testing as a result.
Either way, PEP or no PEP, I would not expect you to test positive over this brief insertive encounter.
You DO need to learn from it though.
Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:
You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL sexually transmitted infections together.
To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.
Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.
Anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.
If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results.
Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv. Some of the other STIs can be present with no obvious symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to test.
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!
Ann