If you haven't taken PEP?

If you have decided not to take PEP, or weren’t able to get it, you may still have some concerns.

If you are unsure if HIV has been passed on, the only way to know this for sure is to take an HIV test. However, you will have to wait until three months after you were at risk until it will be worthwhile testing. This is because the HIV antibodies (which is what the test actually looks for) can take up to three months to appear in your body.

Also, if you have been at risk from HIV, there is a chance you have been at risk of picking up other STIs as well. These can increase the chances of HIV being passed on and many of these have no symptoms, so the only way to know for sure if you have an STI or not is by having a sexual health check-up. You can have this done confidentially at your local sexual health clinic, or you could ask the nurse to do this when you are having your HIV test.

If you have ongoing concerns about HIV risk in your sex life, you might want to think ahead to minimise problems in the future.