POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: worrygap on December 06, 2012, 11:33:11 am
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Hello,
Firstly, thank you Ann, Rod and Andy for running such an informative forum and site, I have found a lot of helpful information here.
I would like to provide as much factual information about my situation below, so you will be able to give me some objective advice on the risk exposure I may have had.
Last week I had protected oral and vaginal intercourse with an escort (she gave me fellatio, but I did not perform oral on her). A polyurethane condom was used throughout, but is it an issue that only one condom was used? The session lasted about 20 minutes and went from oral to vaginal, then back to oral and vaginal, before I ejaculated while she was blowing me (condom still on).
- I am a Hep B carrier, but have no history of other STIs or HIV (I only have one other sexual partner and we are both negative), am I at a greater risk of getting HIV (assuming she is HIV+) because I am a Hep B carrier? Or does this not make any difference? I have not been able to find any information on this on these forums or elsewhere online.
- She had just finished a session with another make client before I went in, if she just had vaginal intercourse with someone else shortly before I had protected sex with her, am I at any higher risk?
- I had a very large and inflammed ulcer in my mouth during the session, however I did NOT perform oral on her, nor did we engage in any type of kissing (my mouth was not used at anytime)- does this put my in any type of risk?
- As she was taking off the condom (carefully) after ejaculation, I touched the tip of it to see if it was leaking- I could feel some of the sperm (possibly because she was still blowing me as I was ejaculating), but most importantly, when she took the whole condom off and tied it up, the sperm was intact (it didn't leak out), so does this mean the condom did NOT break, but potentially had some holes in it (hence why I was able to feel some semen)?
Say, if there were some holes, would this have meant I had some risk exposure while inside her? When I asked her if the condom broke or leaked, she immediately said no (she was holding onto it), and quickly asked me in a serious tone "Why do you ask that? She had a concerned look on her face, so I'm hoping she wanted to protect herself too.
- I had the cold/flu shortly after this encounter, and the following 2 days, I felt a burning sensation each time I urinated, this happened for 2 days. I saw two doctors 3 days after the sexual encounter, the first advised me to get tested in 3 months for all STIs and HIV. The second doctor ordered me to test for all STIs (which I did), and to test for HIV in either 6 weeks or 3 months. I asked both doctors, and both said there is a risk of contracting HIV (if the escort was HIV+)- I told them is there still a risk if the condom was intact the whole time and they said there is still a small chance, even though other STIs would be easier to catch. It is now the 7th day, and after the 4th day, the burning sensation has stopped- still waiting for the result to come back.
I have spent many hours in the last few days reading the threads here and it's clear in all instances, if the sexual act was protected (condom used), then there is no risk of exposure- but how come both doctors did not agree with this? One doctor said I was at risk because I did not change for a new condom for each new sexual act (ie new condom for oral, then new condom for vaginal intercourse, then another new one for oral again)- is this true? Am I still protected if 1 condom was correctly used throughout the whole session (which switched between oral and vaginal sex a few times)?
http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/Transmission_9965.shtml
http://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/latex.htm
Both the above links point to the effectiveness protection in correctly used condoms- but the CDC link only mentions latex condoms, will a polyurethane condom also "provide an essentially impermeable barrier to particles the size of HIV" (CDC)? Also, the doctor mentioned the statistics and research mainly show laboratory results, whereas there are many other real world factors for real cases, mainly if the condom was correctly used, which I believe it was in my case. They say there is 'always a risk' in catching hiv even if a condom was used.
- Is there anything else I can do in the mean time? The main worry is if being a Hep B carrier, am I more at risk at contracting hiv? This question doesn't seem to have been asked by anyone else yet.
- Should I test at the 6 week window or wait for the full 3 months? Is there any difference between the type of test done at 6 weeks or 3 months? Are the 6 week tests substantially more expensive than the ELISA/EIA tests? Will a ELISA/EIA test done at the 6 week mark (instead of 3 month) be inaccurate?
I have been regretting this one off instance nonstop since it happened, I have learnt my lesson and I really want to move on from this (I have already told my partner), some constructive advice would really be appreciataed.
Sorry for the very long post, thank you for reading through it and I look forward to hearing from you.
Tim
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You have absolutely no cause for concern about HIV in relation to the incident you're talking about. The only confirmed risks for the sexual transmission of HIV are unprotected vaginal and anal intercourse. As long as condoms are used properly for those activities you are well protected.
You're good to go so get on with your life. And in case I haven't been clear enough, there is no need for testing.
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Thanks very much Andy for the quick reply- it does offer me some reassurance to at least keep myself occupied before the 6 week and 13 week mark for tests (I plan to test twice).
Yesterday (8 days after sexual encounter), I experienced the following symptoms- constant urge to urinate (at least 10 times within an hour) with only a tiny amount of urine each time, abdominal pain and sore testicles. I wasn't sure if this was UTI or Gonorrhea. I went to the doctor today, he pressed my abdominal area and diagnosed it as UTI (he did not take a urine or swab sample from my urethral). I am now taking antibiotics.
I read online (see 2 links below) that "Individuals who are infected with STDs are at least two to five times more likely than uninfected individuals to acquire HIV infection if they are exposed to the virus through sexual contact"- is this true?
Does this mean I am more at risk? The more I read, the more scared I get...this sexual encounter was a one off
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hiv/stdfact-std-hiv.htm
http://std.about.com/od/riskfactorsforstds/f/coinfectionfaq.htm
I also told the doctor about my situation and asked if there was any risk of catching HIV, if the escort was positive- he said there is a very low chance, EVEN if a condom was correctly used. Why is it that 3 separate doctors have all said there is some risk/chance of catching HIV, when you say there is no cause for concern or need for testing in your reply?
Would really appreciate it if you can kindly answer my question about whether being a Hep B carrier, will put me at any greater risk of contracting HIV? I have not seen any other forum poster with this question.
Thank you again for reading my post.
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Theoretically anytime you have sex with anything other than your own hand you are at risk. But decades of experience in the epidemic have confirmed that properly worn during intercourse condoms are very effective at preventing HIV transmission.
Other STDs are much easier to acquire than HIV. Nothing you are reporting symptomatically is in anyway HIV specific. I expect you to test negative and basically I see your getting tested as being strictly for your peace of mind.