Hello! Just had a few questions.

[Blackguard]

Hi! I am a 37 year old heterosexualitet Male from Sweden and I have a few questions for you. I go to sex workers from time to time.                                                                                                          Here in Sweden our National health agency says that a 4th generation test is conclusive at 6 weeks post exposure and a rapid test at 8 weeks post exposure, there is allot of conflicting information out there. So my question is can I trust this?                   I am not sure about my risk. I always use condoms but the last time it slipped of when I pulled out. How big of a risk is it? I had a 4th generation test 4 weeks after exposure which was negative so I am not that worried, i also tested negative for syphilis, gonnorhea, chlamydia and mycoplasma. I know syphilis is 90 days though.                Best wishes Andreas

[Jim Allen]

Hiya,

Slipping out of the condom whilst withdrawing is generally not an HIV concern for the insertive partner as long as the condom covered the head of your penis during the actual intercourse.

Move on with your life, continue to use condoms for intercourse and test out of routine at least yearly for STI's and HIV.

a 4th generation test is conclusive at 6 weeks post exposure and a rapid test at 8 weeks post exposure

You do not need to test post this incident. If you ever do have a risk that warrants testing then test for HIV antibodies at 6 weeks post-exposure with blood-drawn lab version, a negative result at that stage would rarely ever change. Retesting for a definite result is generally not needed but if you wish for peace of mind, you can re-test at 3 months.

If you are testing with rapid tests, they can be somewhat less sensitive to recent infections and the rule of thumb is simply to wait and test at 3 months and the result is considered conclusive.

Here's what you need to know to avoid HIV infection:
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, every time, no exceptions. Consider talking to your healthcare provider about PrEP as an additional layer of HIV protection going forward

Keep in mind that some sexual practices which may be described as ‘safe’ in terms of HIV transmission might still pose a risk for transmission of other STI's, so please do get fully tested regularly and at least yearly for all STI's including but not limited to HIV and test more frequently if unprotected intercourse occurs

Also, note that it is possible to have an STI and show no signs or symptoms and the only way of knowing is by testing.

Kind regards

Jim

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[Blackguard]

Thanks!

[Jim Allen]

You're welcome.

[Blackguard]

Hi! I stopped using PrEP but slipped up 5 days after. Would there still be protection it would it delay seroconversion? I have read if you take it for more then 30 days it would still be up to 90% effective after 7 days. Is this correct? And yes, I test for everything else. Kind regards Andreas

[Jim Allen]

Hiya.

I moved your post as this is a "Do I have HIV" question. Please only post them here in this one thread, thank you.

slipped up

You stopped PrEP and 5 days later had condomless intercourse I will presume. It an HIV risk, so to confirm your HIV status test six weeks post-exposure with a blood-draw (lab) HIV antibody test, generally, there is no need to retest at three months and your previous PrEP usage will make no difference to the testing timeframe in this case.

I'll remind you that condoms when used correctly and consistently are nearly 100% at preventing HIV from being passed on. Their level of prevention of other STIs is much lower.  PrEP provides a good additional level of HIV prevention when used correctly and consistently, although no STI protection.

Since you no longer are using PrEP remember to use condoms and when you get your HIV screening done 6 weeks post-exposure, also talk to the clinic about an STI screening and getting vaccinated against HPV, Hepatitis A & B.

[Blackguard]

So no protection at all then?

[Jim Allen]

So no protection at all then?

You stopped PrEP and 5 days later had condomless intercourse. It's not good engough for us to tell you to move on with your life and continue to test every three months as is currently recommended with PrEP usage.

The assessment is you had a real-world risk, so testing outside of normal routine is warranted to confirm your HIV-negative status and that's what I recommend. Since you are not currently taking PrEP you can test six weeks post-exposure with a blood-draw (lab) HIV antibody test. Use condoms and talk to the clinic about getting vaccinated against HPV, Hepatitis A & B.