Two questions

[Curious1]

Hi guys,
 
i was browsing on this Forum and i really appreciate the job you're doing, i only have a couple of questions for you and your experience

The first one is more a curiosity than a question; i'm reading in many post that you've never seen so far an insertive partner after a condom break end up poz(vaginal intercourse)....but i've found in the "just tested poz" section the post from the user "Thatsall":
 
http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=36363.0
 
How do you comment this? i suppose he might be infected before the condom break but i might be wrong and he sounds sure of what he's writing...... just wanted to know your opinion about it.

The second quetion is about a recent study in Africa: "A person living with HIV will transmit the virus, on average, once out of every 900 acts of unprotected heterosexual sex. At least, this is the estimate based on a study of mixed-status couples in Africa, published on Jan. 11 in the Journal of Infectious Diseases"

I'd like to know if these people were on meds or not, because if the the risk is 1 in 900 when someone is on meds i can't imagine how high it could be if they weren't on meds....
 
Best regards!

[Ann]

Curious,

When I say that I've yet to see the insertive partner end up poz over a condom break, I mean in this forum - Am I Infected. And yes, the poster you're worrying about could well have been poz before the condom break incident. We don't know his prior testing history nor his prior sexual habits concerning condoms.

We don't push newly diagnosed people to explain these things in detail as it doesn't matter and it isn't supportive. What's important is that they know they are positive, and how they're going to deal with poz life going forward.

And don't tell me that it's important to know for you lot here in Am I. It isn't and you have no business being in the forums meant for poz people only in the first place.

You cannot interpret results of studies like the one you cite as having anything to do with individual cases. Anytime you have unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse with someone of positive or unknown hiv status, you are putting yourself in some degree of risk. You might end up poz the first time you do it, or you may end up poz the 1,000th time you do it, or anywhere in-between.

The smart thing to do is to use condoms every time, and use them correctly. A correctly used condom rarely breaks.


Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:

You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL sexually transmitted infections together.

To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.

Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.

Anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.

If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results.

Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

Ann

[Curious1]

Thank you Ann,

i was asking you the question about Thatsall not just for curiosity but because i've suffered a condom break too (2min exposed) vaginal intercourse and before writing you the same common question "how high was my risk" i had a look at the forum to find some informations about similar incidents.....

Ok i understand that you've never seen anyone end up positive on this forum after a condom incident but do you know many cases outside the forum for your experience? Anyway i know i have and i want to get tested about that.

Thank you again for you next reply

[Andy Velez]

Well, getting tested to hopefully confirm your negative status is a good idea.

I will say the odds are way in your favor against having become infected through a single incident with a broken condom. I expect you to come out of this ok.

You can test initially at 6 weeks. If you test negative at that point then it is likely you will continue to test negative.

[Ann]

Curious,

I do not know of any verified cases of the insertive partner becoming positive following a condom break. That doesn't mean it never happens, but it's rare. That's why you still need to test to confirm your hiv status.

As Andy says, the earliest you should test is at six weeks, as the vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by this time. A six week negative must be confirmed at the three month point, but is highly unlikely to change.

Don't forget to test for all the other much more easily transmitted STIs as well. Some can be present with no obvious symptoms, so the ONLY way to know for sure is to test. You can test for most of the other STIs at ten days to two weeks following an incident, although syphilis shares a three month testing window with hiv.

Like Andy, I fully expect you to come out of this ok.

Ann