i guess im nervous because today i am going to get tested for HIV. about 3 years ago i was incredibly naive and had unprotected sex with 3 other men. each time i topped and "pulled out." there was no evidence of bleeding/ anal tearing that i have read about. a few months later i suffered from a mild case of mono. it (mono) was spreading around my high school at the time. is mono a sign of contraction? i have had no other symptoms of other STDs. if understand correctly, HIV is transmitted through blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk. HIV cannot be contracted from misquitos or other insects b.c. there is not enough blood, correct? then, if there are only microscopic cuts on my penis, how is there enough blood transfered from the "bottom" to me. what are my chances? if you contract HIV, do you typically contract another STD? id also like to take this chance to apologize for my ignorance, stupidity, and naivity, which was reflected in my behavior. thank you very much for your time. -enlightened youth

The fact that you are asking questions and educating yourself about HIV suggests that you are not stupid or naive. Stupidity does not explain why someone has unprotected sex. There are many legitimate reasons why someone may engage in behavior that puts them at risk for infection, but those reasons can be elusive. Do yourself a favor and stop calling yourself stupid: review the events in your mind, in detail, and see if you can discover what contributed to you having unprotected sex.

Mono (infectious mononucleosis) is not associated with HIV infection. The symptoms of mono are similar to the symptoms one may experience after recent HIV infection, but a mono diagnosis means that your symptoms are associated to mono, not HIV.

HIV can be transmitted to the insertive, "top" partner in anal sex, though transmission is much more likely to occur to the "bottom"/receptive partner. The insertive partner would be infected through his penis (the urethra and possibly the foreskin in uncircumcised men) coming into contact with an HIV infected partner's blood in the rectum. This blood may not always be visible, so it is important to not judge your risk based on that.

It is great that you are getting tested. Having unprotected anal sex with men is an efficient way to transmit HIV, so do your best to use condoms for anal sex in the future.

RMK