Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
HIV Prevention (Expert Forum)
condom break , safe practices , my risk
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
This forum is limited to prevention of HIV and to safe sex in general. If you believe you might have been exposed to HIV and want help to judge your risk, would like advice about HIV testing, or have questions about the effectiveness of condoms or the risks associated with specific sexual practices, this is the site for you.
IMPORTANT
No questions will be accepted on the treatment of HIV/AIDS or its complications, viral load, and similar topics. If you have questions about a specific STD other than HIV/AIDS, please visit the STD Forum. Questions that do not pertain to the above topics will be removed from the forum.
If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR PAYMENT WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, condom- protected intercourse hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids as well as symptoms of early HIV infection.
No questions will be accepted on the treatment of HIV/AIDS or its complications, viral load, and similar topics. If you have questions about a specific STD other than HIV/AIDS, please visit the STD Forum. Questions that do not pertain to the above topics will be removed from the forum.
If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR PAYMENT WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, condom- protected intercourse hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids as well as symptoms of early HIV infection.
condom break , safe practices , my risk
by accidental, Jul 08, 2007 12:00AM
Last night I was the insertive partner during anal sex. I was wearing a condom, but I accidentally re-lubed myself with massage oil instead of lube (there were two bottles on the nightstand and it was dark and they looked the same). I felt something and pulled out and the condom had broken.
I had not ejaculated, I washed off immediately, I am circumcised and I don't have sores.
I talked with him and he said he's negative and had been tested this year and never has had unprotected sex. I have read that the risk for a single condom break is ~0.065%, though I can't square this in my head since so many people in the world have HIV. I am scared as I've never had a condom break before.
I haven't been tested this year but I am a 25 yo gay male and I have NEVER had unprotected anal sex (first exposure was protected, this was the first time a condom broke on me), though I am worried that I might have been infected by oral (even though I avoid ejaculate and ask status).
1) Is PEP warranted for either of us? Would we be turned away
2) If I have never had unprotected sex is it irrational for me to worry about infecting him?
3) If I did manage to dodge the bullet what's the best way for me to lead a safe lifestyle w/ sex? My practices are (a) ask status with a new guy (b) avoid ejaculate with oral sex, and always close my eyes before ejaculation, (c) wear condoms for anal sex. Do I have a good chance of avoiding HIV if I do this or is there anything that I could do better?
I had not ejaculated, I washed off immediately, I am circumcised and I don't have sores.
I talked with him and he said he's negative and had been tested this year and never has had unprotected sex. I have read that the risk for a single condom break is ~0.065%, though I can't square this in my head since so many people in the world have HIV. I am scared as I've never had a condom break before.
I haven't been tested this year but I am a 25 yo gay male and I have NEVER had unprotected anal sex (first exposure was protected, this was the first time a condom broke on me), though I am worried that I might have been infected by oral (even though I avoid ejaculate and ask status).
1) Is PEP warranted for either of us? Would we be turned away
2) If I have never had unprotected sex is it irrational for me to worry about infecting him?
3) If I did manage to dodge the bullet what's the best way for me to lead a safe lifestyle w/ sex? My practices are (a) ask status with a new guy (b) avoid ejaculate with oral sex, and always close my eyes before ejaculation, (c) wear condoms for anal sex. Do I have a good chance of avoiding HIV if I do this or is there anything that I could do better?
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jul 08, 2007 12:00AM
, Jul 08, 2007 12:00AM
Others (below) have already responded, and I agree with their comments and advice. Your experience reveals why all gay men should routinely know and share their HIV status, even when safe sex is planned. Safe sex doesn't always work, for any number of reasons, including condom breakage.
1) Since both of you are HIV negative - with low risk either of you has been infected recently and is in the window period - most experts and most or all authoritative guidelines would agree that PEP isn't warranted. Most providers probably would not agree to prescribe it. I wouldn't do it if I were your doc.
2) Be clear: A gay man with multiple partnerships is at relatively high risk for HIV, even if he always engages only in safer sex. That's because sometimes unsafe situations may occur unnoticed, e.g. a condom rupture that isn't recognized at the time. I stress 'relatively': most men in that situation will go a lifetime without ever catching HIV, and your risk for being infected is low.
3) As suggested above, following those practices (well, practices a and c) you probably will never catch HIV. Logically, not ejaculating in the rectum might reduce the risk for the receptive partner, but there are no data on this; and there is no reason to believe this protects the insertive partner; and if a condom is used, what difference can it make anyway? I haven't a clue what you're getting at with the comment about closing your eyes before ejaculation. Is that a serious comment? What difference can it make??
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
1) Since both of you are HIV negative - with low risk either of you has been infected recently and is in the window period - most experts and most or all authoritative guidelines would agree that PEP isn't warranted. Most providers probably would not agree to prescribe it. I wouldn't do it if I were your doc.
2) Be clear: A gay man with multiple partnerships is at relatively high risk for HIV, even if he always engages only in safer sex. That's because sometimes unsafe situations may occur unnoticed, e.g. a condom rupture that isn't recognized at the time. I stress 'relatively': most men in that situation will go a lifetime without ever catching HIV, and your risk for being infected is low.
3) As suggested above, following those practices (well, practices a and c) you probably will never catch HIV. Logically, not ejaculating in the rectum might reduce the risk for the receptive partner, but there are no data on this; and there is no reason to believe this protects the insertive partner; and if a condom is used, what difference can it make anyway? I haven't a clue what you're getting at with the comment about closing your eyes before ejaculation. Is that a serious comment? What difference can it make??
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
True, there are over 40 million people in the world who have HIV, but the disease is much harder to transmit than originally thought. If it were as easy as people thought in the 80's and 90's, well over a billion people would probably be positive. You have nothing to worry about buddy. Testing is obviously always available for anxiety relief, but I don't really see anything to worry about. Get on with life, and keep up your safe sex practices and you'll be fine.
Also, I agree that you're having about the safest sex you possibly can have while still involving another human being. I did want to add that the risk of contracting HIV from giving a blowjob is only about 1 in 10,000, so it seems to me that avoiding swallowing ejaculate isn't all that important. But that's a personal decision, and it sounds like it makes you feel safer and allows you to enjoy sex all that much more. So if you're not going to allow your partners to come in your mouth, you're right on the money about closing your eyes, though maybe not just for the reasons you think ;-) Semen *burns*.
HHH, MD
I tested NEG at 3 wks and will be testing again this coming Saturday for my 6 wk result. Feel free to contact me for support on america online screenname: crcollazos...
Good luck!
*giggles uncontrollably*
Equally off topic (my apologies to the original poster), but did I read something about you having an enlarged heart? On top of your pneumonia? Man. I'm sorry you've been having such a rough time lately. I hope you feel better soon. Hugs...
It does not make me feel any better that this individual was so lax about it, and would have let me have sex with him without a condom. He just got tested the day before we had intercourse, and now I have to wait a week to see whats up with him. I am negative as far as I know :(
I am assuming I still have low risk but this kills me. I am making an appointment to see a doc tomorrow.