PEP started after 60 hours-Risk Assessment?

[1nnedofhelp]

Hello all,

This past weekend I had a sexual encounter with a total stranger whose HIV status I'm unsure of. I engaged in receptive and insertive oral with him, unprotcted and without ejaculation. I also participated in insertive AND receptive anal intercourse with him. When I was the insertive partner, I used a condom at first. After a few minutes he removed it because I wasn't staying erect enough, and I finished inside him unprotected. The part that scares me is that I don't know if he used a condom and/or finished inside me when I was receptive. I had never bottomed before, and since I had no frame of reference on what protected vs unprotected/ejaculated or not would feel like, and stupidly didn't insist on condom use, I sought PEP and took it approximately 60 hours from possible exposure.

My questions/concerns: 1) Assuming he didn't use a condom and did in fact finish inside me, how probable is HIV transmission if indeed he is positive?

2) Will PEP be effective despite the fact that I started relatively late?

3) If PEP were to fail to subdue HIV, would I seroconvert while on PEP, including symptoms?

Please, anything you can offer would be helpful. I feel alone and terrified.

[Jeff G]

My questions/concerns: 1) Assuming he didn't use a condom and did in fact finish inside me, how probable is HIV transmission if indeed he is positive?

We cant give odds on HIV transmission but receptive anal sex is of the highest of risk for HIV .

2) Will PEP be effective despite the fact that I started relatively late?

PEP is very effective when initiated within 72 hours so you have every reason to be optimistic that you will come out of this OK . PEP extends the testing window period to 6 weeks past pep and again at 3 months to confirm the results .

You need to wise up and start using condoms or you will end up like me spending all day and night on the internet telling strangers how to avoid getting HIV ... and HIV positive just like me . Don't be like me .

There is not much more you can do at this point but take your meds faithfully and then test a the appropriate time . 

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. Some of the other STIs can be present with no obvious symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to test.

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

[1nnedofhelp]

Thanks for your reply, Jeff.

I just learned that my partner did not ejaculate inside me, but also did not use a condom. Now I feel absolutely distraught. I assume their was precum. Is that lower risk than ejaculation for transmission of HIV? I still don't know his status, but assuming it's positive, I'm absolutely terrified and wondering how in the world I could let this happen...I started PEP late and had incredibly high exposure risk, and I just don't see how this could turn out in my favor.

[Jeff G]

This doesn't really change anything . You already know you had a high HIV risk sexual encounter and are now on pep . The bets you can do is take your meds and hope for the best knowing pep is effective . Get tested at the appropriate time and learn from this experience is the best course . You started pep within the window period so that's about all you can do now .

[1nnedofhelp]

Good evening,

It's been about six months since my last post but I've come back to report that on August 14th I was tested for HIV, and found out my results were negative for antibodies. This was exactly the 3-month mark from when I completed a PEP regimen, and therefore 4 months after my risk event.

I trust my test results and am not here to waste anyone's time by questioning them, but I did have some questions about interpreting the results. My blood sample was sent from the collection site to LabCorp, and when I got my results they indicated that the method of testing was an "ICMA." Could someone possibly explain this term to me?

Also, the results list the test as hiv 1/O/2. Does this indeed mean my blood was screened for antibodies to 1, subtype O, AND 2, or was it just a test for antibodies to hiv 1?


Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer guidance! It would worry me to know that I was only screened for antibodies to one type of virus!

[Jeff G]

Immunochemiluminometric assay (ICMA) ... its just an abbreviation for the test you took . The test you had screens for type 1 and 2 .

 https://www.labcorp.com/wps/portal/!ut/p/c0/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP3I1JT8YquyzNTykNTiEqdKEOlXmpuUWqQfDlJeguBHGlgYWxiZ6Bfk5joCAOJg4Us!/