Last week I had protected vaginal sex with a woman but at one point the condom slipped off inside of her (not sure for how long we were having sex with the condom off.) 5 days after the encounter I noticed I couldn't really taste my food and my tongue was burning. The issue got worse and the next day I noticed my tastebuds were white and I had a horrible taste in my mouth. It is not 10 days post encounter and my taste buds are still white and the bad taste in my mouth persists. Is this a potentially thrush/a symptom for HIV? I took an RNA test today at 10 days and am waiting for results. Thank you again for your time.

In addition, the symptoms you describe, a loss of taste, a burning sensation in your mouth, and white discoloration of your taste buds is not a sign of HIV or thrush.

If your symptoms were due to HIV, the PCR test that you have just taken would be positive. When symptoms due to HIV are present, PCR tests are always positive.  Otherwise, HIVRNAPCR tests are considered virtually conclusive anytime more than 11 days following and exposure. In contact , 4th generation, combination HIV antigen/antibody tests are more than 98% conclusive at four weeks and entirely conclusive six weeks following exposure.

As I have already said, the encounter you described was very, very lower risk for acquisition of HIV and I would have few concerns. I hope the information that I have shared with you will help you to move forward in addressing your own concerns. EWH.