Been Exposed?

Kua mōrerea koe?

Use the tool below to find out the likely risk of a specific event or encounter. If you were at risk of HIV exposure you will also get a recommendation for next steps.

I recently had ...

A condom ...

A condom ...

I ... currently taking PrEP as prescribed

... best describes my gender identity

I was assigned ... at birth

The gender identity of my sexual partner/s is best described as ...

The event occurred ... than 72 hours ago

Very Low / No Risk

HIV cannot be passed on through skin to skin contact, e.g. from someone’s hands or lips touching a penis or vagina.

If you're worried about personal risk, we advise your speak to your GP.

Very Low Risk

Oral sex presents a very low risk of HIV transmission. There is an enzyme in saliva that acts as a natural defence to HIV. Having an open and bleeding wound in your mouth does increase the risk of oral HIV transmission slightly, but there would need to be a significant amount of semen containing a high HIV viral load coming into direct contact with the wound.

If you believe you been at risk of HIV we suggest you book at test three months after the event occurred and ensure you use condoms and lube for anal and vaginal sex.

You cannot acquire or pass on HIV by rimming (licking or eating out someone's ass). However, hepatitis A and gut infections such as shigella are easily passed on this way.

Very Low Risk

Based on your answers, you are at very low risk of contracting HIV as condoms are one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from HIV during sex. If used correctly, the condom acts as a barrier that HIV and other STIs can't pass through.

Some Risk

While not as extreme of a risk as anal sex, vaginal sex without a condom or with a broken condom still poses a risk of passing on HIV from infected semen, pre-cum or vaginal fluids.

We suggest you get an STI test as soon as you can and discuss your experience and possible HIV risk during this appointment.

Very Low / No Risk

When taken as prescribed, PrEP ensures there is enough HIV medication in the body to significantly reduce the risk of becoming infected with HIV if exposed during unprotected sex.

As part of your regime, make sure you're getting tested for STIs regularly. That way, if you do pick up something like syphilis, gonorrhea or chlamydia, you can get it treated quickly and prevent it passing on to anyone else.

Some Risk

Anal sex without a condom or with a broken condom poses a risk of contracting HIV.

We suggest you get an STI test as soon as you can and discuss your experience and possible HIV risk during this appointment.

Condoms and lube are the most effective way to protect yourself from HIV and most other STIs, like syphilis and gonorrhea. Click here to find places to get free condoms.

At Risk

What now?

PEP
Because the event was less than 72 hours ago you should access PEP – a short course of anti-HIV medication that may be able to prevent you from HIV infection. To access PEP you will need to head to the nearest emergency room or after-hours clinic, or contact your GP as soon as you can – as the longer you leave it, the less chance it will be effective. Click below to learn more about PEP and how to access it. If you don’t think you will be able to initiate PEP within 72 hours then change your answer above for more relevant advice.

Condoms
When people become infected with HIV, the virus begins replicating very quickly in their body. What this means is that people who have recently contracted HIV are at the point where they are the most infectious they will ever be, and so are most likely to pass the virus on to sexual partners at this time. Therefore, it is vital that you use condoms and lube for anal and vaginal sex if you are unsure of your status. Click here to find places to get free condoms.

Why high risk?

Unprotected anal sex (which includes the absence of condoms, PrEP or U=U comes with a very high risk of HIV. Other STIs are also a risk when there’s no condom involved. The risk of HIV is slightly higher for the receptive partner, but it's still high if you are topping. During sex, the lining of the rectum of the receptive partner (‘bottom’) can get damaged and HIV can enter the bloodstream of the insertive partner ('top'), either through the penis hole, or through small cuts on the skin.

At Risk

What now?

Testing
Due to the window period the ideal time to be tested for HIV is four weeks after you think you may have been at risk to HIV. The window period is what we call the time when HIV may be present in your system but not detectable by certain tests. Evidence of HIV can be detected by some tests as early as 2 weeks after exposure, but it may take up to 3 months. Everyone responds differently to the virus. This is why a negative result should always be confirmed by a follow-up test around 12 weeks later.

We understand that this can create a long and incredibly anxious waiting time, if you would like to talk to someone we do have counselling services available. Also, you may want to consider getting an STI test a week or two after this event - we suggest you talk to someone at your appointment about your possible HIV & STI risk.

Condoms
When people become infected with HIV, the virus begins replicating very quickly in their body. What this means is that people who have recently contracted HIV are at the point where they are most infectious they will ever be, and so are most likely to pass the virus on to sexual partners at this time. Therefore, it is vital that you use condoms and lube for anal and vaginal sex if you are unsure of your status. Click here to find places to get free condoms.

Why high risk?

Unprotected anal sex (which includes the absence of condoms, PrEP or U=U comes with a very high risk of HIV. Other STIs are also a risk when there’s no condom involved. The risk of HIV is slightly higher for the receptive partner, but it's still high if you are topping. During sex, the lining of the rectum of the receptive partner (‘bottom’) can get damaged and HIV can enter the bloodstream of the insertive partner ('top'), either through the penis hole, or through small cuts on the skin.

Am I at risk?

HIV can only be passed on in a handful of ways, including unprotected sex, sharing used needles, breastfeeding and/or direct blood to blood contact with a person who is living with HIV.

You can’t get HIV if you hug or kiss someone, share cups, utensils or food. Bodily fluids such as sweat, urine and saliva don’t transmit HIV. It’s also unlikely you’ve been at risk of HIV through oral sex without a condom.

Receptive anal sex (bottoming) without prevention is at the top of the scale when it comes to HIV risk, but insertive anal (topping) without prevention is also high on the list  – find out some of the science behind this and the reason gay and bi guys are more likely to be at risk of HIV.

HIV can also only be transmitted if someone is already living with it – it doesn’t show up out of nowhere.

If you have questions about specific situations that may have put you at risk, we recommend using our tool above to get some more information about risk and next steps.

Are you worried?

If you’re just generally worried about levels of risk in your sex life or in the type of sex you want to be having – there are people you can talk to. Book an appointment with one of our peer testers or counsellors to talk about risk, prevention and sexual health in general. You can also speak with your local Sexual Health Service, or (if you’re comfortable) your GP, about any concerns and strategies for reducing risk.

If you think a specific situation has exposed you to HIV and you’re within 72 hours of that encounter, it's likely you’ll be able to take PEP (a short course of anti-HIV meds to stop HIV from taking hold in your system). Head to our PEP page to find out more about your options and the types of exposure that it can be prescribed for.

If there are situations you need to know more about to understand the risks involved – try our tool above to learn a little bit more and hopefully put your mind at ease.

Sexual activities and their risk.

Different sexual activities hold different amounts of HIV. If you're wanting to find out the risk of sexual event, please use the tool at the top of this page to find out what the risk might be and what your next steps should be.

  • Masturbation/hand job/wanking

    HIV cannot be passed on through skin to skin contact, e.g., from someone’s hands or lips touching a penis or vagina.
  • Oral sex

    Oral sex presents a very low risk of HIV transmission. There is an enzyme in saliva that acts as a natural defence to HIV. Having an open and bleeding wound in your mouth does increase the risk of oral HIV transmission slightly, but there would need to be a significant amount of semen containing a high HIV viral load coming into direct contact with the wound. If the wound was very minor, it's unlikely that this would happen.
  • Unprotected vaginal sex

    Unprotected vaginal sex (which includes the absence of condoms, PrEP or U=U) while not as extreme of a risk as anal sex, still poses a risk of passing on HIV from infected semen or pre-cum. The virus can be transmitted through the lining of the vagina and absorbed into the bloodstream.
    HIV in infected vaginal fluids can still enter a person’s body through the tip of the penis, the inner folds of the foreskin, or through small cuts on the skin.
  • Unprotected anal sex

    Unprotected anal sex (which includes the absence of condoms, PrEP or U=U) comes with a very high risk of HIV. Other STIs are also a risk when there’s no condom involved. The risk of HIV is slightly higher for the receptive partner, but it's still high if you are on top.
    During sex, the lining of the rectum of the receptive partner (‘bottom’) can get damaged and HIV can enter the bloodstream of the insertive partner either through the eye of the penis or through small cuts on the skin.
  • Other risk factors

    Needles: Blood to blood transmission most commonly occurs when a needle is shared between people who inject drug, where one user is HIV positive. In New Zealand, due to the work of Needle Exchanges across the country, this is no longer a regular occurrence and the risk factor for people who inject drugs has been largely reduced.

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