can one not get HIV by having sex with an infected partner without protection?

Question

I had unprotected sex with a guiy who i suspect is HIV positive now what can i do, can i take anti retrovirals to stop infection?

Answer 1

do you know if you're infected? do you know for a fact that you were even exposed? i read the word SUSPECT, suspect does not mean fact, go get yourself tested, at 4 weeks, then at 13 weeks, if this was before 72 hours, go to the emergency room and ask for post exposure prophylaxis, to try to get the virus out of the system before it spreads.

if you're a guy and you had guy/guy unprotected anal sex then you were at high risk, anal sex with another man is not something you want to consider doing in the future

if you're a female and you had unprotected sex with another man, the odds are in your favor, heterosexual intercourse isn't a high risk ask, it's definitely a risk, it's easier for women to contract viruses than men.

Answer 2

It is very possible that by having sex with an HIV infected partner without a barrier/condom that you were infected. It is also very possible you were not. HIV infection does not happen every time, though it could easily happen the first time.

There are so many factors that affect the risk of HIV transmission and there is no way you can be aware of all of them.

It is possible if the exposure occured less than 72 hours ago, you can go to your emergency room and ask for post-exposure prophylaxis. Which is basically about a month of 2-3 antiretroviral medications depending on risk level. Some healthcare workers only provide this to occupational exposures, but the trend to offer it to non-occupational exposure is growing (as it should, ethically). Obvioulsy the sooner you start the ARVs post exposure the better. But it isn't easy. Many people are unable to work while on the ARVs because of the intense side effects.

To address a few other posts:
assertive1 - HIV is never dormant. An HIV antibody test will pick up infection by 3months post exposure. You may be confusing the fact that a person can have no symptoms of HIV for up to 10 years, but there is no reason to test every year for that one exposure.

badassp51- the criminalization of HIV transmission is probably the worst thing societies can do. It does nothing to protect anyone, it can drive underground those populations that need to be reached, it can be a barrier to HIV testing, and I have personally seen that law be misused in awful ways as it becomes a he said/he said or he said/she said. There are other ways to deal with this issue!!! We stopped charging people (decades ago) for tranmsitting other STIs for many of the same reasons.

James L - first off unprotected anal sex regardless of whether it is male/female or male/male are both considered high risk.... as is penile-vaginal sex without a condom. A woman who has sex with a man is at a decreased risk? That one surprises me. I personally see 3-4 women a month who come into my clinic who have been exposed through heterosexual (penile-vaginal) sex and seroconvert. And remember, globally, over 85% of all infections are from heterosexual sex

When are we going to wake up and realize that HIV is not a gay disease or an injection drug user disease. It's an everyone disease....in Canada, women have overtaken injection drug users and are now the second highest in new infections (30% of all new infections are among women!!!!!!!)

Answer 3

You played Russian roulette. Just you may not know for months or years if it killed you. You need to start getting tested and never again have unprotected sex so you don't spread the infection. There are consequences to bad decisions. Hopefully, you've been able to talk to the guy since to gage whether you're just being paranoid, but still, get tested. If he infected you and he knew he was infected, there is legal action you can take. Consult a lawyer, won't help with the health issue, but might stop him from spreading to someone else. Good luck, I'll keep you in my prayers.

Answer 4

Not at this point. Yes, you can get HIV by having sex with an infected partner. There is nothing you can take now. Go to the doctor and start getting tested.

Answer 5

If your actually worried about this then use protection from now on. And it depends on the seriousness of your relationship with the partners, and duration of time between intercourse (doesn't change the biological answer but if you did them in one day, week, or month then they must be pretty loose an you most likely have an STD)

Answer 6

You could I assume, but you need to go to the dr and get tested...It can lay dormant in your system for the next 7 years so keep going back every year to get tested. If you suspected that he was HIV+ why would you sleep with him unprotected? I have never heard of anything so stupid in my entire life...Sorry but you take the cake on this one....

Answer 7

you play Russian roulette,, you might not have gotten it,, but why you would have had sex with someone you suspected being HIV positive is beyond me,, get a toy,take care of yourself, knowing a partners history is absolutely mandatory for me,

I would go donate blood every 6 weeks, they check you for it and it is free,

Answer 8

You're either infected, or you are not infected. It is possible you did not contract the virus, even if he WAS positive, but you certainly could have. That nasty condom sure sounds great now, doesn't it? You need to get yourself to the doctor and get tested right away. Good luck!

Answer 9

oh god!
question for you?
why would you have sex especially unprotected sex with someone you suspect have aids?
are you trying to get it?
do you think you might get a kick of getting this disease?
all i could tell you is go to the doctor get yourself check out.
and please don't be an idiot and do this again please.

Answer 10

There is a very very very VERY small chance that you will not get infected, unless you don't go into the infected area and touch it with your genital.