What are your odds of getting HIV? Your odds of contracting HIV depend on a number of factors.
- Condoms are very effective at helping to prevent the spread of HIV.
- The risk of your partner being infected affects your risk of contracting HIV.
- Some sexual activities are more risky than others. Vaginal and anal sex are higher-risk activities. Receptive anal sex is the highest-risk activity.
- Anti-retroviral therapy can reduce your partner’s risk of transmitting HIV. This is known as treatment as prevention.
- When someone acquires HIV can also influence their chances of passing on the infection.
You can assess your risk for contracting HIV and other sexual infections by doing a risk assessment using STD Risk Calculator.
Factors that Increase Your Chances of Contracting HIV
- Engaging in unprotected sex
- Men having sex with men
- Already having syphilis
- Using drugs intravenously
Factors that Decrease Your Chances of Getting HIV
- Being in a monogamous relationship
- Having protected sex
- Routine testing and routine partner testing
The only way to eliminate your odds of getting HIV is to be in a 100% monogamous relationship with a non-infected partner, not use intravenous drugs, and not to receive any blood transfusions.
If you are concerned about the potential of having contracted HIV, consider getting a 4th-generation HIV test for the earliest and best results with a HIV test.
