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HIV Prevention (Expert Forum)
Brief Exposure
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.
Brief Exposure
by MissingCA, Jan 08, 2007 12:00AM
I am a 28 year old female that had a brief sexual exposure with a 47 year old man (I guess age doesn't really matter). He was inside me about 15-30 seconds unprotected. There was no ejaculation and that's all the exposure there was.
Out of fear I had an HIV test done at 23 days (could have been 24 days depending on what day the lab did the test, but the blood was drawn on the 23rd day).
I've seen in some of your posts that the chance of catching HIV from a single exposure is tiny (one time you posted that was it was in a hundred or so), but you don't indicate if that was when there was ejaculation involved or if that was from general exposure?
1) In your experience, have you seen female contract HIV from a brief exposure such as this without ejaculation?
2) Do you think that I should get a follow up test?
3) Can you say that my 23rd day test is close to 100% assurance?
I'm beginning a monogamous relationship, and need to know if I should get a test (he's already been tested) before having unprotected sex or if you think that my 23rd day test is good enough and I can start having unprotected sex.
Thank you for your time.
Out of fear I had an HIV test done at 23 days (could have been 24 days depending on what day the lab did the test, but the blood was drawn on the 23rd day).
I've seen in some of your posts that the chance of catching HIV from a single exposure is tiny (one time you posted that was it was in a hundred or so), but you don't indicate if that was when there was ejaculation involved or if that was from general exposure?
1) In your experience, have you seen female contract HIV from a brief exposure such as this without ejaculation?
2) Do you think that I should get a follow up test?
3) Can you say that my 23rd day test is close to 100% assurance?
I'm beginning a monogamous relationship, and need to know if I should get a test (he's already been tested) before having unprotected sex or if you think that my 23rd day test is good enough and I can start having unprotected sex.
Thank you for your time.
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jan 08, 2007 12:00AM
, Jan 08, 2007 12:00AM
There are no data on risk of acquring HIV according to duration of intercourse or with versus without ejaculation. But common sense says your risk is much lower than prolonged sex with ejaculation--and even that risk would have been low.
1) I have never seen or heard of a case of transmission after such brief contact, but that doesn't mean it can't occur.
2,3 ) 23 days is too early. Probably ~80% assurance. If you want further reassurance, get another test 4-6 weeks after exposure.
But overall your risk was too low to need testing at all, in my opinion. Any testing at all is being done for psychological support, not because of any realistic risk you acquired HIV. I hope you also were testd for common STDs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis); the risks are higher for those than for HIV.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
1) I have never seen or heard of a case of transmission after such brief contact, but that doesn't mean it can't occur.
2,3 ) 23 days is too early. Probably ~80% assurance. If you want further reassurance, get another test 4-6 weeks after exposure.
But overall your risk was too low to need testing at all, in my opinion. Any testing at all is being done for psychological support, not because of any realistic risk you acquired HIV. I hope you also were testd for common STDs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis); the risks are higher for those than for HIV.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
