I have an HIV question-I' am very nervous

[NervousinNy]

Hello,

 I have a two-part question.

 Here's the back ground: Two weeks I had protected sex with this girl that I met at the club. During our evening, I went down on her and performed cunnilingus. At this time I had a cut on my lip, I am not sure that if it was scabbed over or if it was still open . I get these cuts because I bight my lip at night when I sleep and at the same time I had a canker sore inside my bottom lip underneath my gum line  and I am not sure if it was scabbed over.
She also went down on me and sucked my scrotum (balls sack) I had a scratch down there from scratching and I am not sure if the scratch was scabbed over.

My questions are as follows:

1. If she is HIV + could of I contracted HIV when I went down on her either via the cut on my lip or the canker sore in my mouth?

2. If she is HIV + could of I contracted HIV when she went down on me if my scratch wasn't scabbed over.

I am really nervous now, since I am in a foreign country. I asked her all the questions if she was a sex worker (she said no) and if she has aids ( she said no) and I asked her about her past sex life, she said she got tested two months ago but she's been in this country for 3 months, but I asked if she had HIV and (she said, what is that?). I asked her to take a and aids test on 4-1-2011, which was yesterday but I am not sure if she did, she said yes but still I am not sure. I asked her for paperwork with the results. So those are my questions any assistance is greatly valued.

N.i.N

[Ann]

NiNY,

1. NO.

2. NO

Not only is saliva not infectious, but it also contains over a dozen different proteins and enzymes that damage hiv and render it unable to infect. Oral activity - either way - is not a risk for hiv infection.

Here's what you need to know in order to remain hiv negative:

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.

ALTHOUGH YOU DO NOT NEED TO TEST OVER ANYTHING YOU BRING TO US TODAY, 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

[NervousinNy]

Thank you for the quick response.

So to re-iterate because I am slow:

Even if she is Hiv positive and with the my cut on my lip, the canker sore inside my mouth and my scratch on my scrotum (ball sack) if they were not scabbed over, I can not be infected with Hiv?

I just get nervous because about the cut on my lip coming in contact with her vaginal secretions when I was going down on her.

Thank you very much,

N.I.N.Y.

[Ann]

NiNY,

All the risk assessments we do here assume the other person is hiv positive.

As I said before, saliva is not infectious so it does not matter if you had a cut on your balls.

Hiv transmission doesn't stand a chance of happening via female genitals to mouth - there are just too many obstacles on the oral route. And this includes if you have cuts or sores on your lips or in your mouth.

The first obstacle is the mouth itself. The mouth is a veritable fortress, standing against all sorts of pathogens we come into contact with every minute of our lives. It's a very hostile environment and saliva has been shown to contain over a dozen different proteins and enzymes that damage hiv.

Hiv is a very fragile virus - literally. Its outer surface doesn't take kindly to changes in its preferred environment; slight changes in temperature, moisture content and pH levels all damage the outer surface. Importantly, it needs this outer surface to be intact before it can latch onto a few, very specific cell types and infect. 

Which leads to the second obstacle. Hiv can only latch onto certain types of cells, cells which are not found in abundance in the mouth.

The third obstacle to transmission this way is having hiv present in the first place. The female secretion where hiv has been shown to be present is the cervicovaginal fluid. This fluid is actually a thick mucus that covers and protects the cervix.

The fluid a woman produces when sexually excited comes from the Bartholin's glands, located on either side of the vaginal opening. I have yet to discover one shred of evidence (and believe me, I've looked) that shows this lubricating fluid to have any more hiv present than other bodily secretions such as saliva, sweat or tears. Saliva, sweat and tears are NOT infectious fluids.

So there you have it. Once the results of the serodiscordant studies started rolling in, what we know about hiv transmission on the cellular level was validated. The only people who were getting infected were those who had unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse. Period. One of the three studies went on for ten years and involved hundreds of couples. That's a lot of nookie.

I fully expect your test results to be negative.

Ann

[NervousinNy]

Hello,

 I have been reading this great sight and I am trying to gain more knowledge. What is the difference between Vaginal Lubrication and Vaginal secretion. I can not find anywhere on the internet that states the difference of the two and the possibilities of the two carrying the HIV virus. Can someone point me in the right direction on where I can find the information on these two. Thank you.

N.I.N.Y.

[Andy Velez]

I've merged your threads here. In the future please follow our rule and keep all of your entries in this same thread.

Vaginal lubrication can be anyone of several manufactured substances to make intercourse and sexual play easier and more comfortable.

Vaginal secretions are natural female body fluids.

The area of the vagina in which vaginal fluids can contain HIV are far up in the vaginal cavity in the mucus of the cervical area. Your hand would not ordinarily be in that area. The fluids around the vaginal lips do not contain HIV and are not a risk for transmission.

[NervousinNy]

Thank you very much, you must forgive me I am computer illiterate.

I have been scouring the internet for hours trying to find this information. Do you know where I can find it. I am trying to educate myself, so in the future I can educate others. Thank you very much.

N.I.N.Y.

[Andy Velez]

I don't understand what you need beyond the response I gave you to your question.

Stop scouring the net. I suspect that effort will only feed your worst fears and all to no good purpose.

[Ann]

NiNY,

While the term vaginal lubrication can refer to manufactured personal lubrication products like KY Jelly or Astroglide, it is also sometimes used interchangeably with the terms vaginal secretion or vaginal fluid.

I've already given you the following information, but I'm giving it to you again with a little more detail.

The female secretion where hiv has been shown to be present is the cervicovaginal fluid. This fluid is actually a thick mucus that covers and protects the cervix. The cervix lies deep inside the vagina and the only way you're going to come into direct contact with it is if you do not put a condom on your penis when having vaginal intercourse. You would NOT be able to reach it with your tongue.

The fluid a woman produces when sexually excited comes from the Bartholin's glands, located on either side of the vaginal opening. I have yet to discover one shred of evidence (and believe me, I've looked) that shows this lubricating fluid to have any more hiv present than other bodily secretions such as saliva, sweat or tears. Saliva, sweat and tears are NOT infectious fluids.

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

Ann

[NervousinNy]

I'm so scared, anxious and nervous. What's quickest way that I can get a hiv test. Do I really have to wait 3 months? Are those at home tests accurate? Its going to be three weeks on sunday. The girl I was with said she was tested and is AIDS free she is bringing the paperwork over tonight. I am still so scared and I do not trust her. Maybe because I'm in a different part of the world. Maybe I'm just so scared. I just don't know what to do?

[Ann]

Nervous,

You did not have a risk and any testing you do will be purely for your peace of mind only. You don't need to test.

The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six weeks, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days. A negative result at six weeks must be confirmed at the three month point - where there has actually been a risk. YOU DID NOT HAVE A RISK!

As I do not know where in the world you are (other than somewhere in Senegal?) I do not know where you'd need to go for a test. If you are returning to the States any time soon, you can find a testing center near where you live by entering your zip code in Poz.com's Health Services Directory.

The ONLY approved home test is Home Access and you probably won't be able to get one of those in Africa. There are other home test kits available on the internet but I would advise you to not use any of them because they are all prone to false positive results. Go to a proper testing center. Your friend should be able to tell you where to go as she has tested herself.

Again, you do not need to test over this incident and any testing you do will be strictly for your peace of mind. You did NOT have a risk for hiv infection!

Ann

[NervousinNy]

Another Question:

 That night I was wearing a magnum condom, I did not fit into a magnum condom, I am a regular sized guy. I don't remember the condom failing off or me losing it however it was baggy on me. The next morning I filled the condom with water to see if it had any holes and it didn't. Can I get HIV because I used a condom that was too big?

I  know that I am over thinking this but I am nervous. Thank you for being there for me. You seem like the only voice of reason and person that I can talk to about this and get real answers.

N.I.N.Y.

[Ann]

Nervous,

It doesn't matter how baggy the condom was, as long as the head of your penis was covered you were not at risk. A too-large condom will normally only slip off when you withdraw - and that isn't a risk for hiv infection either.

You have been told repeatedly that you were not at risk for hiv infection during this encounter. If you read the Welcome Thread before posting like you're supposed to, you will have read the following posting guideline:

Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.

Please consider yourself warned!

Ann

[NervousinNy]

Hello,

The girl just got back to me and said that she is negative however, here are the issues that I am still nervous about:

She had unprotected sex in February and got tested immediately turned out negative.
She went for the test last week and came out negative, however I thought it has to be three months for an accurate test, which for her will be May.
She also told me that when I went down on her she started her period later that day, I don't remember seeing blood on the condom or tasting blood. If my cut on my lip or canker sore in my mouth weren't scabbed over can I get infected if she is HIV +?

[Andy Velez]

What anyone tells you about their HIV status is irrelevant when you have had a risk.

But you DID NOT HAVE A RISK, so this is just more unnecessary handwringing on your part. If you come back with more of the same you're going to get a Time Out. This is your final warning. You don't have an HIV problem. No matter what additional details you throw into the mix. 

[NervousinNy]

I found a doctor here and he had me take  an Elisa test and it came back negative. I am waiting for the viral load test. I am nervous on this one. What are the chances the negative on the elisa can turn positive on the viral load?

[Andy Velez]

Your negative is no surprise because you didn't have a risk as I have said repeatedly. If for your own peace of mind you are going to waste more money on further testing, all you are going to do is collect another negative result.

[Ann]

Nervous,

Why on earth are you having a VL test done? You don't need one. You didn't have a risk and you don't need antibody testing, never mind VL testing.

You do not have hiv.

I'm giving you that time out I warned you about. Do not attempt to create a new account to get around your time out because if you do, you will be permanently banned.

Ann