Don't kick yourself too hard over a mistaken sexual decision. Humans make mistakes, and errors in intended sexual safety are common in the heat of the moment. That's life.

Having made that error, you have taken exactly the right steps to prevent HIV, both in starting PEP and in confirming your partner doesn't have HIV. It sounds unlikely -- most people don't lie about HIV status or testing when asked directly, especially outside an immediately sexual context. I hope your partner goes along with a repeat HIV test -- even if he is convinced he isn't infected, I hope he understands how reassuring it would be for you to know he current has a negative test result. To your specific questions:

1. For the reasons implied above, I think the risk you have HIV is exceedingly low, probably well under one chance in a million. If your partner has a repeat test with negative results, that will drop it to zero for all practical purposes.

2. PEP started within 24 hours of exposure is generally believed to be at least 90% effective in preventing HIV.

3. This raises an important issue that many people (both exposed persons and PEP prescribers) don't consider when starting PEP.  If your partner tests negative, you should consider stopping PEP. The often forgotten downside of PEP that If PEP fails, it prolongs the testing window, i.e. the clock on reliable testing starts with the last dose of PEP. There is little or no research on this, but based on studies in animal (primate) models and the known biology of HIV and the performance of anti-HIV drugs, an AgAb test is not considered conclusive until at least 6 weeks after the last drug dose. And some experts advise 3 months. So instead of reassuring negative test results 6 weeks after exposure, the period of uncertainty may last up to 3-4 months. It can be a significantly stressful issue.

On this forum we do not provide direct medical care, and with rare exceptions do not advise changes in legitimate treatment by a knowledgeable health professional. Therefore, I'm not advising you to stop PEP if your partner tests negative, but that you should consider it and discuss it with the clinic or doctor who prescribed it. But I will say that if somehow I were in your situation, I would stop PEP if my partner agreed to a new test and was HIV negative.

All things considered, you can be very confident you don't have HIV, regardless of what decision you and your provider might make about continued PEP. Try to relax and not worry; I am confident all will be well.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear. Good luck.

HHH, MD