Infection possibility

[MeatyMan]

Hi,

Am concerned with my status due to what happened weeks ago on 21/04 when I had unprotected oral and protected sex with a female sex worker.

Nothing much of concern on the above but the thing that got me worried, was because the condom used broke unexpectedly during intercourse! It was only after everything was over, during extraction that it dawned on me that we had exposed each other to risks unknowingly. I immediately cleaned up myself with soap, unsure if that'll even help.

Days later, had flu and fever on the following week which got me further worried. Subsequently had an RPR test done, of which it was negative. Does this test even show any sign of possible HIV infection?

Anyway, am still pretty worried on the possibility of infection. Understand that tests can only be concluded more accurately 3 weeks after exposure. Perhaps someone can shed some light on my worries?

Thank you.

[Ann]

MM,

Your risk of hiv infection is very much on the lower end of the scale. You were protected up until the condom broke.

Hiv is a fragile, difficult to transmit virus, and it is much more difficult to transmit from a woman to a man. While you do need to test, I expect you to have a negative result. I've yet to see the insertive partner end up positive over a condom break.

The earliest you should test for hiv is at six weeks. The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by this time, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days.

A negative result at six weeks is highly unlikely to change, but must be confirmed at the three month point.

Unless you mean you had a PCR test, an RPR test is for syphilis and will not detect hiv.

You only need hiv antibody testing at the appropriate time - which is not before six weeks.

Please read through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms correctly and with confidence. A correctly used (and stored) condom rarely, if ever, breaks.

I expect you to come out of this ok, but you have had a risk and you do need to test at the appropriate time.

Ann

[Andy Velez]

Meaty, the risk from a condom break is low. You had the protection of the condom until it broke. This was a single and relatively brief incident. HIV is a fragile virus and it is significantly more difficult to transmit it from female to male than the other way around.

All of these factos make it unlikely for you to have been infected during the incident you are concerned about.

But very low risk is not the same as no risk. The average time to seroconversion is 22 days. All but the smallest number of those who are going to seroconvert will do so within 4-6 weeks after a risky incident. If you test negative at 6 weeks that will be a strong indication that you will test negative again at 13 weeks for a conclusive result. 

[MeatyMan]

Many thanks and very much appreciate your prompt response towards everyone here.

From your replies, I can more or less heave a sigh of relief from all the worries that went on in my head during the past weeks.

But pardon me, just to understand more about HIV, why is it that the transmission from female to male is more difficult? I would have thought the risk factor from male to female and vice versa would be of the same percentage.

Many thanks once again. Will take up your advices and do the respective test in due time and update accordingly.

[Ann]

MM,

It's because the receptive partner is always the more vulnerable one when it comes to acquiring any STI.

When it comes to hiv, it has to do with the amount of receptive cells that hiv can infect. Inside the anus or vagina, there are many of these. On the penis, they are only found on the inside of the urethra or on the underside of the foreskin (the part that is hidden when the foreskin is lying in place over the head) of uncircumcised men.

It's also because when infected semen is ejaculated into either the vagina or the anus, it pretty much stays there. The penis is only at risk while it is inside unprotected.

Ann