Aa
hiv question/herpes risk
good morning.
i am an african american male who had unprotected sex vaginal and oral with a married white female two day ago. I ejaculated inside of her. she is what you call a swinger and she only has sex with black men. i dont know her hiv status. she told me after sex that she had been with about 19 other african american men who did the same thing ie unprotected and finishing inside her and now i am starting to get very concerned as i understand the african american community is in a higher risk category hiv infection. i have read some of the other posts in this forum and in free community and it states that transmission of hiv and herpes after one unprotected hetersexual encounter is relatively low however considering my risk factors of being african american ie sleeping with a woman who has has numerous african american sex partner unprotected i think my risk is higher than normal. by the way she does this because her husband due to health problems cannot haves sexual intercourse and he is aware of her activity. i on the other hand am in a commited relationship and dont want to give my partner any std's. not too smart to think of this after the fact i know. is there any insight you can provide to give me a little clarity and to seperate the hype from fact ie true risk factors considering the scenerio i mentioned and appropriate testing etc and time frame ie how long should i wait before results are truly accurate etc. thanks for your help.
i am an african american male who had unprotected sex vaginal and oral with a married white female two day ago. I ejaculated inside of her. she is what you call a swinger and she only has sex with black men. i dont know her hiv status. she told me after sex that she had been with about 19 other african american men who did the same thing ie unprotected and finishing inside her and now i am starting to get very concerned as i understand the african american community is in a higher risk category hiv infection. i have read some of the other posts in this forum and in free community and it states that transmission of hiv and herpes after one unprotected hetersexual encounter is relatively low however considering my risk factors of being african american ie sleeping with a woman who has has numerous african american sex partner unprotected i think my risk is higher than normal. by the way she does this because her husband due to health problems cannot haves sexual intercourse and he is aware of her activity. i on the other hand am in a commited relationship and dont want to give my partner any std's. not too smart to think of this after the fact i know. is there any insight you can provide to give me a little clarity and to seperate the hype from fact ie true risk factors considering the scenerio i mentioned and appropriate testing etc and time frame ie how long should i wait before results are truly accurate etc. thanks for your help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
If anything, this makes your risk for infection lower. Does not change my assessmetn of advice however. EWH
thanks for the comments. the amount of partners was over roughly a seven year period. does that change your thoughts on the matter?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to our Forum. You ask an important question which I'll be pleased to address. Before I do however, let me say that having sex outside of your ongoing relationship with a new partner without a condom may not have been one of your wisest moves- please use condoms in the future if you are going to go this route, it will save you a lot of heartburn.
Now, your risk. You are correct that STDs, including both HIV and herpes pare somewhat more common among African Americans than whites. The overall figure from the research performed on populations thought to be representative of the entire population is that the risk of having any STD is increased about 3-fold among African Americans (FYI, this is not a function of genetics and susceptibility but a manifestation and legacy of the uneven distribution of health care in the U.S.). For your partner however, he greatest risk factor is not that she has had other AA sex partners but that she has had 19 of them (you don't say over what period of time). Did you happen to ask her if she'd been checked for STD, if so which ones and when- if not, I would suggest this as well since this will be useful information.
Having acknowledged that your partner was somewhat high risk, I can now say that despite that, your risk for infection remains rather low. Even most high risk partners don't have STDs (including HIV) and it is unusual for a person to get an STD following a single exposure even if their partner does have HIV. If she had HIV (quite unlikely), your risk from a single exposure is less than 1 in 1000. Your risk for other STDs however, since they are more common, is somewhat higher. Thus, here is my advice. To be safe and despite your low risk for infection, 3 to 4 days after your exposure you can be checked for the most common STDs, gonorrhea, chlamydia and NGU. this can be done confidentially at your local health department or by your own doctor. Your risk for HSV is low and is not something to worry about unless you develop sores at a site of exposure - there is no reason to test for HSV. Similarly, your risk for HIV is VERY low. While I would not worry about it, to be thorough, I suggest (and think you will want) to get an HIV blood test 6-8 weeks after the exposure. if this is negative, as I am confident it will be, then you have nothing to worry about there either.
I hope these comments are helpful. EWH
Now, your risk. You are correct that STDs, including both HIV and herpes pare somewhat more common among African Americans than whites. The overall figure from the research performed on populations thought to be representative of the entire population is that the risk of having any STD is increased about 3-fold among African Americans (FYI, this is not a function of genetics and susceptibility but a manifestation and legacy of the uneven distribution of health care in the U.S.). For your partner however, he greatest risk factor is not that she has had other AA sex partners but that she has had 19 of them (you don't say over what period of time). Did you happen to ask her if she'd been checked for STD, if so which ones and when- if not, I would suggest this as well since this will be useful information.
Having acknowledged that your partner was somewhat high risk, I can now say that despite that, your risk for infection remains rather low. Even most high risk partners don't have STDs (including HIV) and it is unusual for a person to get an STD following a single exposure even if their partner does have HIV. If she had HIV (quite unlikely), your risk from a single exposure is less than 1 in 1000. Your risk for other STDs however, since they are more common, is somewhat higher. Thus, here is my advice. To be safe and despite your low risk for infection, 3 to 4 days after your exposure you can be checked for the most common STDs, gonorrhea, chlamydia and NGU. this can be done confidentially at your local health department or by your own doctor. Your risk for HSV is low and is not something to worry about unless you develop sores at a site of exposure - there is no reason to test for HSV. Similarly, your risk for HIV is VERY low. While I would not worry about it, to be thorough, I suggest (and think you will want) to get an HIV blood test 6-8 weeks after the exposure. if this is negative, as I am confident it will be, then you have nothing to worry about there either.
I hope these comments are helpful. EWH
You are reading content posted in the HIV - Prevention Forum
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.
