2 weeks ago I bottomed with a male. Yesterday he came to my house to tell me he just tested positive for HIV. I started going through all the possible exposure methods, which was kissing, oral sex, and anal sex with me receiving. The only thing we used a condom for was the actual intercourse. I am in the military and am scared about getting any testing done through them. How should I go about this, and are there any prophylaxis methods I should take? Ryan

Hello Ryan,

The first lesson here is that everyone must consider the possibility their sex partner is HIV-positive and take the appropriate harm reduction measures to reduce the risk of possible viral transmission. You wisely chose to use a condom for intercourse. Assuming the latex condom was used properly and did not break, your HIV risk would be limited to oral sex. Kissing does not pose a significant risk for HIV virus transmission without extenuating circumstances. Oral sex carries a very small potential risk. The only way to determine if you have contracted the virus is to get tested. If you prefer not to do this through the military (additional fallout form the draconian "don't ask, don't tell" policy), then you'll need to get tested privately. Depending on where you live, anonymous testing centers may be available. Check with your local AIDS service organizations.

PEP, post-exposure prophylaxis, is only recommended for significant exposures, such as unprotected anal or vaginal receptive intercourse with a known HIV-positive partner. It should be started as soon as possible after the exposure, and no later than 72 hours to be effective.

Ryan, the odds are all in your favor for not having acquired the virus. PEP is not warranted or recommended. If you choose to get HIV tested, wait at least three months, so that your result will be definitive. Good luck.

Dr. Bob