The common perception that HIV will "'jump' to the other side as soon as it has a chance" isn't completely accurate. The actual chance of becoming infected with HIV during a single sexual experience — even with a partner who is known to be HIV-positive — is rather low: one study put the chance for a woman becoming infected by an HIV-positive male through vaginal sex at 1 in 1000. Because of the difficulties involved in studying how effective HIV is at infecting someone, the numbers vary among studies.