I am just wondering. YOu said an STD test is not even recommended for my encounter. So I am assuming that even chlamydia, gonorrhea, and even herpes is not really an issue here. All of which are much easier to transmit from what I understand.
And if those are not an issue in my extremely brief encounter then HIV is certainly not a concern at all. Correct?
Thanks for the reply. I did ask her at the time and she said I had nothing to worry about with her. She is from another country and said she had medical background but seems like a stretch to me. And, people lie....especially if you are face to face with someone and they may be afraid of a persons reaction in my opinion anyway.
I will not test then, this is my only potential exposure (I think) other than some unprotected oral and some handjobs.
thanks
I will post this question as well prior to your answer to my original post to save some time.
I would like to learn about exactly how hiv transmission takes place. I have read over and over and over again that it is a hard virus to transmit even under the best of cicumstances but there is never any explanation as to why this is.
Could you post a brief layman summary of this or could you point me to where I and maybe others could go to read for ourselves.
It is ok to make general statements such as what I have mentioned above but I always need to know the "why's" of things as I tend to "see" or understand things better this way.
If you can do this, thank you, if not thaks anyway.
First, if you are in the US or another industrialized country, the chance that the lady has HIV is very low. People just don't catch HIV from situations like you describe, at least not in numbers that matter. Second, even if she had HIV, the chance of transmission during regular unprotected intercourse--by which I mean a few minutes, with ejaculation--is around 1 chance in 2000. Third, why don't you call her and ask whether she has HIV?? Most likely you have her number or could find it. She probably is just as worried as you about the risks from this event--and from a statistical perspective, she is at higher risk of a bad outcome than you are.
In regard to actual HIV risks, your 'logical side' is exactly right. Thinking about hotlines, just use some common sense. Who is likely to take such a job? What is the perspective of organizations that run hotlines? For a number of reasons, they are likely to magnify the risks.
I don't recommend testing for HIV or other STDs in situations like this, unless someone has symptoms that suggest infection. As a sexually active person, you shoud have and HIV test and routine HIV testing (chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, etc) once a year. Since it's on your mind, perhaps this is a good time to do it. But not because of the risks associated with this particular event.
Good luck-- HHH, MD