Are you at risk?

If you can answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you are at above-average risk of HIV. As of 2006, guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that any sexually active person aged 13-64 be tested for HIV every year even if that person is at low risk.

• Have you ever had "unprotected" oral, vaginal, or anal sex (sex without a condom or other latex barrier)?
• Have you ever had sex with someone who was an IV drug user or had HIV?
• Have you ever had a sexually transmitted disease (STD) such as herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, or hepatitis?
• Have you ever had an unplanned pregnancy?
• Have you ever been sexually assaulted (raped, or forced or talked into having sex when you didn't want to)?
• Have you ever passed out or forgotten what happened after you were drinking or getting high?
• Have you ever shared needles or other equipment to inject drugs or pierce the skin, such as tattooing?
• Have you ever received a blood transfusion? (The risk is very low in the United States, but can vary in other countries.)
• Did your mother have HIV when you were born, or did she die of AIDS?

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