HIV Risk

[daveretene]

Hi Doc

Yesterday I visited an escort. Was looking for a zero risk encounter so there was no oral or intercourse of any kind. I kissed her three times lightly on the lips so zero risk so far.

I asked her to masturbate for me and I also fingered her at times....only once deeply. I used the same fingers to masturbate myself and she used her hands to masturbate me further.

Even if she was HIV positive (and have no evidence she is)

1. Is there any HIV risk from me fingering her. I have a small amount of dry cracked skin on fingers but nothing 'open'.

2. I bite my finger nails...is this likely to increase risk

3. Is there any risk from me using my fingers, after fingering her, to masturbate myself, eventhough my fingers were not near the tp of my penis??

4. Can I return to having unprotected sex with my partner

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

1 chance in several million, probably.  Low enough to be disregarded.

That ends this thread.  Please do your best to accept the reasoned, science based reassurance you have had and don't second guess it.

[daveretene]

When you say exceedingly low....in the case of getting something like syphilis or herpes from a secretion tainted handjob are we talking 1 in 1000? perhaps

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

It is theoretically possible that some STDs -- especially those transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, like herpes, syphilis, or HPV -- could be transmitted by hand-genital contact or fingering.  However, any such risk is exceedingly low; in my 4 decades ( ! ) in the STD business, I don't think I have ever seen any patient with any STD acquired this way.  You can safely disregard this possibility.

[daveretene]

Thanks doc,

Just one other question, as im slightly confused reading other posts in the std forum. Is it possible, during mutual masturbation to pick up any of the other stds. For instance could I finger a girl and then by masturbating myself transfer vaginal secretions to my urethra, picking up one of the bacterial infections?? Or cud one transfer a portion of herpes virus etc during mutual masturbation.?
Thanks again, just trying to further my knowledge

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the forum.  I see you asked the same question on the international forum.  You can expect a more or less identical response.

Fingering has never been known to result in HIV transmission, either from the fingerer or fingeree.  Same for all other hand-genital contact, like mutual masturbation -- even if genital secretions are used for lubrication.  If you think about it, at any point in time, lots of people have various nicks and cuts of the fingers, so over the 3 decades of the known HIV/AIDS epidemic, there must have been billions of episodes of fingering of HIV infected partners in the presence of such lesions -- and still no known transmissions.  So it is apparent that such lesions make no practial difference.

I will add that it is very unlikely your partner had HIV, as you seem to already understand.  It is probable that most escorts (expensive female sex workers by appointment) know the score and work hard to avoid HIV, e.g. by consistent condom use for vaginal or anal sex.

Those comments address your specific questions, but to be explicit so there is no chance for misunderstanding:

1) No risk.

2) Nail biting makes no difference.

3) No risk here either.

4) There is no reason not to continue unprotected sex with your regular partner.  In addition, I recommend against HIV testing on account of this event.

I hope these comments have helped.  Best regards--  HHH, MD