Q and A

Question

A condom burst with my positive girlfriend. Will I have HIV now?

I had sex with my girlfriend and the condom burst while i was inside her. She sent me an SMS a week later and told me she is HIV positive. I didn’t ejaculate inside her. I want to know if there is any chance i did not get infected?

Answer

Hi

Thanks for your question – and the quick answer is that you are much more likely to still be negative. Catching HIV from one broken condom is a very low risk.

The risk of transmission is also lower if your girlfriend is on treatment. She should also have had something called a viral load test. Someones viral load tells you how much virus is in their bloodstreat. The lower this is the lower the risk of transmission is.

If your partner is not on treatment the risk of transmission is about 1 in 500.

If she is on treatment and has an undetectable viral load the risk becomes zero. This is because when viral load is this low, transmission doesn’t occur.

All of this means that you are more likely to be negative than positive.

Taking a test is still a good idea as a routine part of your own sexual health check up.

You can find more information about HIV transmission here.

The answer to Q9 at this link have more information about the need for condoms when viral load is undetectable.
https://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions

71 comments

  1. Roy Trevelion

    We no longer answer questions about transmission and testing. This information service is about HIV treatment for people who are HIV positive.

    Most questions about transmission and testing have been answered here:
    http://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing

  2. Rahul

    I had sex with a sex worker meanwhile condim broke After 3½ months I went for HIV test the screening test and was found HIV negative am I safe or have to go through other test….please reply

  3. Simon Collins

    Info about risk and testing is in this FAQ:
    http://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing

    And in this guide:
    http://i-base.info/guides/testing

  4. Sadique

    I am worried i played a protected sex with a sex worker but unfortinately in the middle of the journey the condom burste and i realised only at the end. What is the percentage of me having the virus?

  5. Simon Collins

    Pls see this FAQ page:
    http://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing

  6. jay

    Hi, last month, I had sex with a positive lady, I ejaculated in the condom unfortunately it Bursts but after realizing that I went to the bathroom and bath myself, today’s results show that am negative though I have a slight headache and fatigue, can I be positive after three months

  7. Roy Trevelion

    The risk of HIV to you is dramatically reduced if your girlfriend is on HIV treatment (ART) and her viral load is undetectable. But there can be many other factors that change the risk of transmission.

    As it says in the question above it’s still a good idea to get tested if you think you have been at risk. It’s the only way to know if you’re negative or positive.

  8. zakes

    Hi, I was having a sex with my positive girlfriend and condom burst so I remove it and put another one simultaneously so what’s gonna happen?

  9. Roy Trevelion

    Unfortunately we don’t have the resources to answer more questions about transmission and testing. This information service is about HIV treatment for people who are HIV positive.

    Most questions about transmission and testing have been answered here:
    http://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing

  10. Mish

    Around 33 days back, I went to massage parlour with my friends. After massage for sometime, the lady gave me a blow job (Without a condom) and later we engaged in vaginal sex with condom. the session went up to 10-15 mins and i ejaculated inside condom. I am now worried as I was not sure if my condom broke, moreover when I removed my penis, the condom was slipped till the tip!. Also there was a cut in my penis which happened while I was removing my hair a day before.
    After 33 days, I got cold and sore throat now…I am seriously scared now… can you please guide??