Anal sex for ten seconds — AIDS?

Dear Curious,

Word of mouth is not a good way to determine whether or not your partner has a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Remember that one of the most common symptoms of an STD is no symptom. This is also true for AIDS. A person can be HIV-positive, but show absolutely no signs of AIDS for years. A person could also be HIV-positive and show up as HIV-negative on a blood test if it is during the "window" or latent period before the virus can be found in the blood. (Read HIV Transmission: When does it show up on a blood test? in Alice's Sexual Health archive for more information on the window period for HIV.) Your partner may not honestly know that s/he has the virus at the moment when you're going to have sex.

It is possible, but unlikely, that HIV could have been transferred from the inserter to the receptor during the very brief period of anal sex you described through the inserter's pre-cum. It is even less likely that the receptor could have transmitted the virus to the inserter in that short amount of time, unless there was tearing and blood in his/her anus. For the future, if you want to enjoy anal sex with a partner safely, use a condom from the very beginning of your sexual encounter and use lots of water-based lube. Also read Alice's archived answer to Anal sex problems for more information about anal sex, and how to practice it safely and still have a good time. You can also check out Laura Pinsky and Paul Harding Douglas's, The Essential AIDS Fact Book, for further details on HIV/AIDS.