Question: Regrettably and shamefully I had intercourse with a sex worker yesterday and now am in total fear. I am the most paranoid person ever of catching HIV and looking for advice/peace of mind.

I received unprotected oral sex and we also engaged in protected penetrative sex (using condom) And only for 5 minutes. Obviously I don't know whether this woman has HIV but I'm scared since she is a sex worker. What's worse is that I have a minuscule cut/nick on the base of my penis from shaving 2 hours previous to the episode which I'm not sure if the condom covered. One on my penis can barely even be classed as a cut, think i just nipped the skin and made a red mark as I dont remember any blood and it doesn't even appear to have any 'scab-like' appearance....however there is a small cut that is located on my scrotom, very close (basically beside) the base of my penis which obviously wouldn't have been inside the vagina but may have touched it, I'm not entirely sure, would this count as risk?

Also because these cuts are small like I said, would 2 hours provide enough time for them to 'heal' enough to form a barrier against infection if I was exposed? As I said i have no recollection of any bleeding etc but they are still present which is a worry.

Also today (the next day) I've awoken to feeling lethargic and I have a sore throat...could these be early symptoms?

Basically I'm finding every reason to panic.

What is my likelihood of hiv transmission? Again this is hypothetical because the lady may not have HIV but being a sex worker the worry is always there. The lady clearly stated she never had penetrative sex without using 'protection'. Furthermore, I know you can't really tell if someone has HIV by appearance but from what I remember she seemed well, e.g. no obvious symptoms such as fever or rash.

Also I'm within 48 hours, is there enough of a case for me to get PEP or am I just being overly paranoid? I heard PEP can have pretty dire side affects.

Basically after this dreadful episode, I'd like reassurance as to whether I'm panicking over nothing or whether I have genuine concerns over a 'high risk exposure'

Hi, thanks for your expert opinion, it is very reassuring regarding low risk of HIV...I do have another couple of quick questions regarding 'symptoms' that I have acquired.

For the past 2 days (this is now 5 days after incident) I have had bladder discomfort (not actually sore but just discomforting) and I am urinating more frequently than normal....I was wondering whether these were signs of an STD and if there was any indication as to which ones it could be if this were a symptom?

I have also been experiencing a minor 'cold' which I dont know if it would be connected or whether this is just coincidence?

Could these symptoms be concerned with HIV (worst case scenario) or could they still be something potentially less lethal?

Thanks