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Hiv Exposure - High risk
Hi,
I am a 24 yr old gay male.
About 10 days ago I had unprotected anal sex with a 21 yr twice for about 15 minutes and I twice ejaculated inside him! As I am circumsized all I used was saliva and no lube during the intercourse!
He later revealed that he had been raped 4 months ago, did a PCR test two weeks later which turned out to be negative!
4 days after the encounter I got a sore throat, weird feeling/numbness at the top of the penis and light stomach cramps and can barely get few hours of sleep from anxiety! Are these Hiv symptoms or am I simply being paranoid?
I am not very active sexually and this is the first time I engaged in unprotected sex and I normally get check ups quite often.
I got this guy convinced to take the PCR test next week, although he has refused to do it last week. Not sure if its a result of irresponsibility, fear, or he's simply not being honest!
How accurate would the standard HIV test be if it's done 4 weeks after exposure? And would it be reassuring if my 'partners' PCR test comes out negative? Or do I have to wait 6 months for a 100 percent accuracy?
I am so scared of having contracted HIV and need some professional and moral support! I am desperate to know what are the odds of me contracting HIV at this point. Thanks in advance!
I am a 24 yr old gay male.
About 10 days ago I had unprotected anal sex with a 21 yr twice for about 15 minutes and I twice ejaculated inside him! As I am circumsized all I used was saliva and no lube during the intercourse!
He later revealed that he had been raped 4 months ago, did a PCR test two weeks later which turned out to be negative!
4 days after the encounter I got a sore throat, weird feeling/numbness at the top of the penis and light stomach cramps and can barely get few hours of sleep from anxiety! Are these Hiv symptoms or am I simply being paranoid?
I am not very active sexually and this is the first time I engaged in unprotected sex and I normally get check ups quite often.
I got this guy convinced to take the PCR test next week, although he has refused to do it last week. Not sure if its a result of irresponsibility, fear, or he's simply not being honest!
How accurate would the standard HIV test be if it's done 4 weeks after exposure? And would it be reassuring if my 'partners' PCR test comes out negative? Or do I have to wait 6 months for a 100 percent accuracy?
I am so scared of having contracted HIV and need some professional and moral support! I am desperate to know what are the odds of me contracting HIV at this point. Thanks in advance!
His test is extremely encouraging for you. Follow up with your own testing as outlined above- you can expect the results to be negative.
Guys thanks alot for your answers, indeed helpful.
Today I convinced my partner to take the test, and as I am very impatient, I made him do the Rapid 1/2 test instead of doing the PCR. It took only 30 minutes and the test turned out negative.
I feel somehow relieved. He said in the past 3 months he had 2 partners with whom he had protected sex. It had been 2 weeks since our encounter now, I still don't know the accuracy of this rapid test but on the internet it says its as effective as ELISA!!!
Does all this mean I am safe now? I have another appointment for further HIV and STD testing in 2 weeks from today.
All this has turned out to be a rough lesson for me but worthy nevertheless. I prayed for the first time in my life today. I guess some learn the hard way.
Thanks again,
Today I convinced my partner to take the test, and as I am very impatient, I made him do the Rapid 1/2 test instead of doing the PCR. It took only 30 minutes and the test turned out negative.
I feel somehow relieved. He said in the past 3 months he had 2 partners with whom he had protected sex. It had been 2 weeks since our encounter now, I still don't know the accuracy of this rapid test but on the internet it says its as effective as ELISA!!!
Does all this mean I am safe now? I have another appointment for further HIV and STD testing in 2 weeks from today.
All this has turned out to be a rough lesson for me but worthy nevertheless. I prayed for the first time in my life today. I guess some learn the hard way.
Thanks again,
Testing at 4-6 weeks post exposure would give you a good indication of your status. If its negative at that time its unlikely to change at 3 months post exposure when you can get a conclusive result. You don't need to test up to 6 months.
Symptoms do not come on as early as 4 days after exposure. If one gets them at all, it would be 2-4 weeks post exposure lasting 1-2 weeks.
Your partners 2week PCR test was not conclusive. If he were to test for that exposure it would be conclusive now, and as long as he didn't have any other exposures 3 months prior to being with you, if its negative, then you could find some relief there.
Symptoms do not come on as early as 4 days after exposure. If one gets them at all, it would be 2-4 weeks post exposure lasting 1-2 weeks.
Your partners 2week PCR test was not conclusive. If he were to test for that exposure it would be conclusive now, and as long as he didn't have any other exposures 3 months prior to being with you, if its negative, then you could find some relief there.
Even though unprotected sex between men is inherently high risk, there are several factors going in your favor. I will briefly outline them below:
1. You do not know whether your partner was infected. Approximately 90% of men who have sex with men don't have HIV, so there is a good chance that your partner was not infected.
2. Your partner had revealed that he has had a recent negative HIV test. Even though PCR tests are not stand alone tests in HIV diagnosis, a negative PCR result can be considered reassuring evidence that your partner was not infected.
3. The average risk to a 'top' is 1 in 500 exposures. Thus, your risk would be no higher than 1 in 250 IF your partner was infected.
With respect to testing, I think your best bet is to have a 4th generation test (Ab + Ag) 4 weeks after exposure to this partner. A negative result at that time would be extremely reassuring with the chance of it changing highly remote. If you can't find a place that offers it, a standard antibody test would be about 90% accurate at 4 weeks. You will need to follow up with an antibody test at 3 months for a conclusive result. If you can also get your partner tested it would be additionally reassuring, but I see no need for a PCR test for him unless he has had a recent exposure to a confirmed-infected partner. Just have him take a traditional antibody test- it will be conclusive concerning his rape incident 4 months ago. Hope this helps.
1. You do not know whether your partner was infected. Approximately 90% of men who have sex with men don't have HIV, so there is a good chance that your partner was not infected.
2. Your partner had revealed that he has had a recent negative HIV test. Even though PCR tests are not stand alone tests in HIV diagnosis, a negative PCR result can be considered reassuring evidence that your partner was not infected.
3. The average risk to a 'top' is 1 in 500 exposures. Thus, your risk would be no higher than 1 in 250 IF your partner was infected.
With respect to testing, I think your best bet is to have a 4th generation test (Ab + Ag) 4 weeks after exposure to this partner. A negative result at that time would be extremely reassuring with the chance of it changing highly remote. If you can't find a place that offers it, a standard antibody test would be about 90% accurate at 4 weeks. You will need to follow up with an antibody test at 3 months for a conclusive result. If you can also get your partner tested it would be additionally reassuring, but I see no need for a PCR test for him unless he has had a recent exposure to a confirmed-infected partner. Just have him take a traditional antibody test- it will be conclusive concerning his rape incident 4 months ago. Hope this helps.
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