HIV Risk & Probabilities

[LosA90]

I had sex with two different CSW on 8/12 and 8/13 in Los Angeles (unprotected oral and protected vaginal sex). I know this is relatively low risk but I had a slight fever and a minor rash a few weeks afterward so I went to get tested about 7.5 weeks after the last exposure at the AHF clinic here in Los Angeles.

The counselor at the clinic gave me a rapid blood test which came back negative. I felt great when he told me the results.  However, the counselor said I also needed to take another test, a NAAT test. I described my potential exposure and the counselor said there is a chance of contracting through oral sex and the window period is up to 6 months. He indicated that the NAAT test would catch anything the antibody test missed during the window period.  They drew 2 vials of blood for the test

After reading through this website and others, I now realize this test is not recommended as a diagnostic test and suffers from false positives and I regret taking this additional test. I am waiting for these results and freaking out thinking about what the results might be.

I think the AHF clinic is one of the largest non profit clinics here in L.A.  The county also recommends going here for HIV tesing in L.A. Why would this clinic use this test if it's not approved for diagnostic testing?   

Is NAAT testing very common at most other clinics?

How common are false positives for this type of test?

Thank you

[Ann]

Los,

You either need to find a new clinic or that so-called counsellor needs to go back into training. Neither going down on a woman nor getting a blowjob are risks for hiv infection. Not only that, but the window period for hiv testing has been THREE months for years now. But, you don't need to test because you didn't have a risk. Your negative results are not going to change.

Don't sweat getting a false positive. Any positive result must always be confirmed with a Western Blot.

Ann

[LosA90]

Thank you for your quick reply.

I thought the oral sex was no risk but I didn't want to argue the point with the clinic. I guess they are just being ultra conservative with the potential risks and window periods.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the NAAT test will be negative. The waiting is just killing me....

These forums help A LOT and thank you and everyone else for all of your good work on this site!

[LosA90]

I went a little crazy last week and met 5 different CSWs over the course of 5 days.   I  had vaginal sex with  each of them two times. The vaginal sex was condom protected.   However,  I received uncovered oral sex about 4 times for about a minute each and performed uncovered cunnilingus on two of them for about a minute as well.

I don’t know if this relevant or not, but I believe all of them were from Korea and in each instance, they washed my genital areas thoroughly with soap and water in the shower before sex and the encounters were a few hundred dollars each. A few questions...

1. My rational side tells me this was little to no risk for HIV, but I was wondering if this equates to a risk of 1% of contracting HIV?  (1 to 1,000 risk of exposure X 10 separate encounters = 10 to 1,000, or 1% risk).

2. Should I  be worried about any other STDs?

3. I urinated about 5 minutes after each encounter. Does this reduce the risk of HIV or any other STDs in any way?

4. My friend (who is NOT a doctor) is under the belief that I am crazy for worrying about this and he believes HIV transmission from women to men is not possible. I am assume this is incorrect, but can this risk be quantified?

Thank you for your assistance.

[Ann]

Los,

I've merged your new thread into your original thread - where you should post all your additional thoughts or questions. It helps us to help you when you keep all your additional thoughts or questions in one thread. It doesn't matter how long it has been since you last posted in your thread or if the subject matter is different.

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Of course it's not relevant where the women are from. Hiv is an equal opportunity infecter.

1. You were not at risk for hiv infection. Getting a blowjob is not a risk and neither is going down on a woman. Protected intercourse is just that - protected. There have been long-term studies of couples where one is positive and one is negative. In the couples who used condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, but no barrier for oral activities, not one of the negative partners became infected with hiv. Not one.

2. Not really, although some of the other, more easily transmitted infections can be gotten through oral sex. Condoms do not always prevent warts, herpes or syphilis. If you have further STI questions, see a doctor. This is an hiv only forum.

3. Yes and no. It can sometimes flush out bacterial infections before they take hold.

4. Hiv transmission is more difficult to achieve from a woman to a man, but it is absolutely NOT impossible. The risk is during unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse. You wore a condom so you were not at risk. I know plenty of men who became hiv positive through UNPROTECTED vaginal intercourse.

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 FOR HIV OVER THESE ENCOUNTERS, 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

[LosA90]

If you don't mind answering, for those men that you know that were infected with HIV from vaginal sex, was this after repeated exposures (long term partners), or from one off encounters?

The reason I ask is that I posted this question with one of the doctors at Medhelp and it appears that most female to male heterosexual transmission is from long term exposure.

I seem to be addicted to CSWs as I'm frequenting them every few months (I went a little overboard this last week), but after each time, I start thinking about what ifs and anxiety drives me a little nutty.

Thank you

[Ann]

Los,

Most have been from long-term exposures, but it is totally possible to become infected the first time you do not use a condom when having anal or vaginal intercourse with an hiv positive woman. It only takes one time, and that time could be the first time or the 10,000th time or anywhere inbetween.

You can have as much sex as you want with as many sex workers as you want, as long as you use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse.

As I said above, there have been long-term studies of couples where one is positive and one is negative. In the couples who used condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, but no barrier for oral activities, not one of the negative partners became infected with hiv. Not one.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE!!!

Ann

[LosA90]

I engaged in deep kissing, brief unprotected oral and protected vaginal sex with an escort yesterday.

I'm probably being paranoid but my concern is that after sex she mentioned that she had been sick for the last two days with a fever and sore throat and that she had just recovered that morning.

If this had been ARS, wouldn't that put me at higher risk for transmission from the kissing and oral? My understanding is that this is the stage at which the viral load is the highest and most easily transferable.

Also, is there any data that shows what the HIV infection rate for escorts is or what percentage of those newly infected are from female prostitutes?  The research seems to suggest most heterosexual transmission is from men using prostitutes?

Thank you

[Andy Velez]

Los,

Most have been from long-term exposures, but it is totally possible to become infected the first time you do not use a condom when having anal or vaginal intercourse with an hiv positive woman. It only takes one time, and that time could be the first time or the 10,000th time or anywhere inbetween.

You can have as much sex as you want with as many sex workers as you want, as long as you use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse.

As I said above, there have been long-term studies of couples where one is positive and one is negative. In the couples who used condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, but no barrier for oral activities, not one of the negative partners became infected with hiv. Not one.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE!!!

Ann

Re-read what Ann has said to you. You ARE worrying needlessly about HIV. Period.

[Ann]

Los,

Saliva is not infectious no matter where a person is in their hiv infection. Not infectious is not infectious. Give it up and get on with your life.

Ann