SoOo.. wHat Now?!
Question:
SoOo.. wHat Now?
According to the CDC the per act risk of catching HIV from having unprotected anal sex with an HIV+ partner is 1 in 200. that's less than 1% chance of being infected per encounter.
Given this information, and assuming that I have had unprotected anal sex with a potentially infected partner, would you be concerned if you were me?
Answers:
First off, unprotected anal sex is a HIGH risk activity. The studies done on the per-exposure risk have been misread/misunderstood by many. As one of the previous answers says, there is so much variation in sexual activity and the studies can't take into effect all of the other factors: do you have any STI (most have no symptoms, so do you really know?) as the presence of an STI GREATLY increases the likelihood of HIV transmission/acquisition. Did the "bottom" douche/enema before the act ( even if only water is used) as this will increase the risk.. How much lubricant was used can also play a big role in transmission ("too much lube, almost enough" is the motto I use when talking about anal sex), how long did the anal sex last for? .... there are so many other factors that you couldn't possible be aware of and yet will impact on the ACTUAL risk.
Bottom line, one single unsafe sex encounter with an infected parnter can transmit HIV. So get tested and forget all about the per-exposure risk studies. They can be misleading to anyone not familiar with stats or science research.
ps. I get this question a lot during my workshops, so you are not alone.