Need some advice

Drs,

First, thanks running such a valuable website.  There are few places to get truly reliable answers - and for this forum I thank you both.

Last night I had one first experience with a TS. I asked the TS her status before we did anything and he/she told me they were negative - but her she was of Latin decent and her English was really poor - so I wasnt 100% sure.  Anyway - my exposure did not involve and oral/anal sex.  I was quite nervous and I really wanted to be careful.  

So, all we did was mutual masturbated one another (and I have read that this is no risk).  But what has me spooked is that when the TS ejaculated - she did so on my stomach and around my belly-button.  The semen remained on my belly for a few moments - where shortly there after I climaxed as well.  I then cleaned up.  What if the semen got in my belly button - is this risky?

I have read on the archives that mutual masturbation is no risk - but I am a little confused about the risk that semen plays in infection outside the body.  Does it simply not happen that way? I am fairly certain I have no open cuts/sores or whatever when the semen landed on me - but as this was my first exposure to some one elses semen - I am nervous that maybe i wasnt safe enough....

Maybe my risk is low (or hopefully zero) but I needed to hear it from an expert.  Thanks again for your compassion - Im just really scared.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the forum.

You are correct that mutual masturbation carries no risk -- and it sounds pretty certain your partner didn't have HIV anyway.  HIV and other STDs are not transmitted by contact of infected secretions with intact skin.  As for other STDs, HIV evolved to require contact of large amounts of the virus with certain kinds of susceptible cells, which by and large are located deep inside the body (e.g., the lining of the rectum or the cervix in women), in the blood, or under the skin.  That's why there is little or no sexual HIV transmission without penetrating sex.

As a person who is sexually active and non-monogamous, it would be wise for you to have routine STD and HIV testing from time to time, like once a year.  But this particular exposure carried no risk for any infection and no testing is necessary at this time.

Regards--  HHH, MD

[duran11360]

Dr. HHH- thanks for your answer.  I believed that I was indeed being safe.  I recently had my annual STD check-up (as a matter of fact it was a few weeks ago) and all was okay.  

As a "newbie" to this all - I was wondering - is there really any scenario that you are aware of that could lead to HIV infection (of a sexual nature) if there is no penetrative sex? That is, assuming you dont have oral/intercourse - but are exposed to semen/vaginal secretions - is there anyway that infection could take place outside the body? Do you know if there are any cases of that every happening?  I completely understand that the susceptible cells are deep inside the body. So, it seems safe to safe to say that while nothing is impossible (esp in biology) that infections cannot happen outside the body through contact of semen/vaginal secretions. Sorry if this is long winded - Im just trying to educate myself (and others)......

I wont have any other questions - so I promise not to get into any long drawn questions after this.....really just want to understand it better.

Thanks again -

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Is there a possible scenario? Sure, several of them. But sexual transmission of HIV is so rare without penetration that you can and should forget about it.  You also might get hit by a meteorite someday, but you don't take special cautions to prevent it, right?

Here is a thread that should help you "understand it better".  Read the closing discussions toward the end of the discussion:  http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/1119533

[duran11360]

You were right Dr. - the link to the thread you posted answered my questions.  Thanks again for doing the work you are doing - its truly invaluable and quite honestly not so easy to find out there.

Thanks again.